


The Contingency Plan

by Sesrin



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: #itsamageracething, And a whooole lot of history between them, But hopefully not that slow, But it sure as heck won't be really fast either, Cause there's the whole "fall in love" thing first so your guess is as good as mine, Comes with being a mage, Cue misunderstandings to get plot going, Different races, Different spaces, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual smut???Maybe???, Except for Jim, F/F, F/M, Female Reader, Fluff and Angst, Gotta make them fall in love, Jim's just trying to get by guys, Just doesn't talk all too much, OCs for plot purposes - Freeform, Reader Is Not Chara, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader Needs a Hug, Reader has siblings, Reader has your look but with specific hair and eye color, Reader is a mage, Reader-Insert, Readz is protective of lil bros, Readz will be a badass, Sans Needs A Hug, Sans Remembers Resets, Sans and Reader don't get along at first, Slow Burn, Some monsters may hate/distrust you at first, Sorry guys, Tags will be added, Twin younger brothers, angst here and there, frisk can talk, get ready for a ride, swearing here and there
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-10-26 12:01:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10786359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sesrin/pseuds/Sesrin
Summary: What if when the Underground barrier fell, another barrier in the mountains fell in response? A magical safeguard that the ancient mages placed in order to contain the monster race on the off-chance that the barrier was broken. Ancient they may be, stupid they were not.-You’ve been living a safe and peaceful life with your younger siblings behind the Mage Realm barrier. They’re 6 now and life is good. Your day to day schedule consists of their daily lessons and morning walks throughout the Realm. You’ve told them that when their “ME” or Magical Energy starts to kick in you’ll begin teaching them in controlling their Mage magic. You’ve made it your mission to provide for them what others had provided for you. Keep them happy. Keep them safe. You’ll do what you need to as their guardian.So when, on a seemingly normal day, the Mage Realm barrier decides to break and leave them undefended to the dangers of the “Outside” when you’re not with them? Well it’s no wonder you’re just about crazy with worry. To make matters worse, you find them injured and it looks like a monster is responsible for said injuries? Yeah, he’s going down.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> "Contingency Plan - a plan designed to take a possible future event or circumstance into account"

After the War Between Humans and Monsters, humans had their peace. For a time, that is. Human nature however, will always talk about the constant push for more power and how people are afraid of what they don’t understand.

After the Monster race was sealed underground, humans fought amongst themselves. They became divided between the Ordinary and the Mages. Some members of the Mage race wanted to be revered as Saviors, as Gods for the work they had done in the War. They began to mistreat those that held no magic as beneath them and as servants. As a majority of humanity held no magic, many people began to resent those that were were born into magic and magical families.

Once more, war broke out between the races. This time however, even though they were the ones with the magic, even though THEY were the ones that had defeated and sealed the monsters, the Mages were the ones that were chased into the caverns of Mt. Ebott. Even the Great Mage race couldn’t hold back the sheer numbers behind the Ordinary armies. They were attacked without mercy and many of their kind were slaughtered. Every mage was a target for attack. Whether they were children or the elderly, it didn’t matter to the armies of the Ordinary. In the eyes of those that didn't hold magic, they were no different from the Monsters. They were unnatural. They were abominations. They were creatures that belonged in the dark.

Intensely wounded and small in numbers, the Mages retreated up into one of the peaks on Mt. Ebott. There, with the residual Soul power left to them from the ones they lost, they were able to seal themselves away from those that didn’t understand them. With this, they were lost to time as the barrier would only come down in a time where the Ordinaries would beg for their help. If the barrier that separated the Monsters from the humans were to fall, in that instance and only that, would the Mage barrier fall in response. Thus making it possible for the Mages to put a swift end to the freedom of the monster race and receive the recognition and status that they had deserved all those years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a prologue to give a brief summary for the background of the world I have in store for you guys :D (ie. who are the mages, what role did they play in the Great War, what happened to them)
> 
> This is the first fic I've written in a while and man, oh man am I excited for it! Hope you guys are strapped in because I've got quite the ride in my head. I have several large-ish events planned out so hopefully this fic is able to continue along smoothly. I'm going to try to update on a weekly basis (maybe mondays?) but I'm a college art student with quite a bit on my plate so we'll just have to see haha
> 
> In the next chap we're introduced to our dear Readz and two younger bros :D  
> Let me know if you have questions! I'd love to answer them


	2. The Mage Realm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Intro to your world as you know it, consisting of you (Readz) and your two younger siblings. It's all you need and all you want. The Mage Realm provides you with food and protection. Things are peaceful and you just want to see them grow up happy. The rest of the world may not agree with that plan, however.

That morning started out like any other. As per usual, you would either wake up on your own before daybreak, drenched in sweat (the after effects of yet another nightmare you supposed) or you would be stirred awake by the gentle proddings of little fingers against your cheek as quiet, barely stifled giggles drifted through the air. Waking up this morning you were glad to find that it was the latter. As you stealthily peeked one of your eyes open enough to be able to locate the ones that had woken you from your slumber, your heart never failed to swell at the sight that would always be there to greet you on the mornings in which you didn't dream. Sitting up against the side you were facing that morning would be your little brother Michael. Ten times out of ten, he would be the one you would find prodding your cheek in the morning in an attempt to wake you up. Sitting on your other side would usually be your other younger brother Matthew. He’d be giggling at his only-by-a-couple-minutes older brother’s antics, usually opting for a more soft approach at waking you up when it was his turn. Usually though he would simply just end up snuggling under your arm against you until you got up normally (or by Michael getting bored) to start the day. They were an adorable set of twins with personalities that contrasted so much you knew nobody would ever mistake them for one another once they met the duo.

This morning was apparently Michael’s turn to wake you up as Matthew wasn’t curled up against your side. You weren't too much of a morning person so most of the time you tried your hardest to view Michael's early bird tendencies to be a bit of a blessing in disguise. After all, earlier days made for more productivity and being in charge of the upbringing of two 6 year old boys meant that your days were pretty busy. Mornings started off with breakfast and a quick walk and some exploring. After lunch was served it was time for the twins lessons in subjects that spanned as far as how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to Casting: the basics. Since you were the only source of learning and information the two had access to in their early years you wanted to make sure they wouldn’t be lacking in any one area. These lessons would continue until dinnertime and then it was off to bed with the three of you. Rinse. Repeat. Nice, easy going, and not quite as quiet as you were fearing it would be when it all started. You made sure your brothers weren’t scared, sad, or injured and in return, although they didn’t know it, they were what helped you keep yourself together in this lonely place.

Quiet giggles and snickering brought you back to reality rather than your thoughts on your daily schedule and you glanced over to your other younger brother who was sitting a little ways behind Michael this time. Did he think he was out of reach? Adorable, truly adorable.

You started to chuckle, low and in your chest for extra effect. The caught-with-their-hand-in-the-cookie-jar looks on their little faces were priceless as you oh so slowly began to sit up on your bed. Also for added effect.

“So…” you started out your usual morning spiel, “which one of you decided it was funny to laugh at someone you woke up with poking their cheek?”

Michael, as always, was now frozen stiff at having been caught red-handed but Matthew, surprisingly, attempted to scramble off your bed in an attempt to flee the bedroom.

“Oh no you don’t little man!” you scooped him and his brother into your arms and proceeded with your usual bout of intense morning wake up cuddles. These continued until the three of you were reduced to lumps of wheezing laughter on your bed. And like every other morning that you woke up to them before this morning, you only had one thought on your mind as you smiled to yourself.

_‘What a wonderful way to start the day.’_

 

* * *

 

“C’mon boys, did you guys brush your teeth? Hair? Wash your face?” you sat up again to look at them as they shook their heads no, “Look, you’re still in your PJs. Go wash up before I decide you guys need to learn about those boring history lessons you hate again.”

Michael’s face scrunched up at the thought while Matthew’s grew solemn. Huh. Well that was a new one. You told yourself to address the matter with him later.

“I haaaaaate those!” Michael whined out.

“I know.” you ruffled his head of fluffy black hair. “ Why do you think they’re reserved for days when you guys are bad?”

You snickered as you saw the connections come together in his eyes.

“You’re a _monster_ ____.” he said quietly in horror which caused you to burst out in laughter.

“Yeah. yeah. I know. I’m h- *more laughs* _horror-_ ble. Haha. Well, now you know. Are you gonna keep sitting there?” you looked at him expectantly with an eyebrow raised.

He quickly grabbed his twin’s hand and yanked him out the door and down the hall.

After they were gone you got up from your bed and walked over to your closet, changing into a comfy pair of black slacks with a sandy, white turtleneck to go over it. You quickly washed your face and ran a brush through your snow white hair. You walked over to a mirror and peered into your ice blue eyes to observe the state of your magic. You pulled gently at your soul and watched as your magic seemed to swirl and crackle quickly just beneath your irises. You walked over to the logbook on your desk as you sighed and quickly jotted down a couple of lines.

 

_ENTRY DATE: 10-3-20XX_

_Stable. No Change yet again._

_No sign of magic in either of the twins yet either._

 

You sat at your desk as you turned the pages to look at the other entries in your journal that seemed to be almost exact copies of this one. You put your head in your hands and sighed. You _had_ to be missing something. There was no reason for your magic to have stayed as dormant as it was since… well since THAT night. Your heart twinged in pain but you shoved it away. It had no place in your observation time. Your eyes flicked back down to your notes. A mage’s magic was supposed to grow a fraction each year as their souls became more intune with their powers. With your lineage being what it was, both your own and the twins’ magic situations didn’t make any sense to you. You gave yourself another mental note to check out the magic archives once again to see if you could uncover anything new this time.

“____! We’re hungryyy!” your brothers’ yells down the hall broke you out of the serious stupor you worked yourself into and you laughed at their antics. Somehow they always knew when you needed them most even when you didn’t. You got up from your chair and walked down the hall to find them in their bedroom putting on sweaters. You laughed as Michael helped Matthew with getting his sweater over his head and his hair popped out messy and disheveled. You grabbed a brush off their dresser and motioned for Matthew (the first one done getting ready) to walk over to you. You gently comb tangles out from his soft, black tresses as he closed his eyes and hummed quietly in content. He had cheered up a little. That was good. You gave Michael a grateful smile as his head popped out from his own sweater. He nodded and gave you a big thumbs up as he smiled. You finished with Matthew’s hair and placed the brush back down as you picked up his glasses. He turned around to face you and you brushed his bangs out of the way before gently placing the too-big frames on his face. You motioned for Michael to walk over as you picked up the brush once again and got started with his hair.

 

* * *

 

“So.” you started out as the three of you sat at the step in front of the doorway to pull on your boots after breakfast, ”where do you guys want to go today?”

Questions were raised in your mind as the air once again turned solemn. You looked over at the two of them. Matthew was looking down at his boots with his knees to his chest as Michael looked at him in older brother concern. It’d be a really cute sight if you weren’t worried about what was weighing so heavy on their minds. Michael cleared his throat before looking sheepishly at you.

“Well...Mattie’s been talking about wanting to go to uh..the..the barrier?” It was strange to hear Michael so unconfident. Usually the kid was overflowing with the stuff. You looked over to your other younger brother for a confirmation but he seemed to only shrink into himself even more at the feeling of your gaze.

You let out a sigh as you internally debated the topic.

“....Fine. We can go there today.” You felt yourself smile slightly at them as their expressions broke out into ecstatic smiles full of excitement. “I know I’ve been avoiding it and even probably been a little touchy about the topic for awhile, but you guys are older now. So..yeah. We can go and I’ll even answer your questions.” They jumped up and high-fived one another. “BUT.” you started again, “You guys have to accept the answers I give you, okay? Otherwise I won’t take you there when you ask me next time.” You chuckled as they nodded at you vigorously. “Okay.” You stood up and handed them their jackets and shrugged on your white cloak instead of your usual simple coat. You tied the thick, silvery cords at your neck and smoothed out the ends with your fingers before lingering on the metal crest that settled on the fabric above your heart. It wasn’t too often that you had to wear this, but with where you were going, you needed the defenses to recognize the Archmage...aka You.

You opened the door and ushered the two out before you turned back around and locked the door. It wasn’t as though you had to worry about anybody breaking in or anything, but sometimes even just one small habit brought you comfort. Helped you pretend that you three weren’t the only inhabitants of this gigantic place. Admittedly, when there _had_ been others, there was a constant issue with overpopulation. Now though, this place always teetered on _lonely_.

Snow crunched under your boots as you walked forward and away from your small log cabin. A cold wind blew past you and your brothers both visibly shivered. _(Another mental note you logged away to write down later: No change in reaction to weather.)_ You held your hands out towards them and they gave you grateful smiles as they grasped them with their own. Immediately your magic wrapped around their bodies and protected them from the cold in a warm hum of power. Once they stopped shivering, you continued walking towards the magic gate located on this level.

The Mage Realm, originally called the “Magedom”(short for Mage Kingdom....your ancestors weren't the best at naming), was separated into layers to make the most of the limited space. When your ancestors had first been placed here in the mountain they only had access to what was reportedly only a single cavern. Knowing that the population would not survive in such a small space, the first family had tapped into...something (..records weren't clear at this point..) to create the realm that the Mages had resided in for hundreds of thousands of years. The best way to explain it would be to talk about it as though the spaces themselves were actually tangible. The Realm was situated into a tower-like structure essentially. Each level had a different attribute, with some being purposed for things such as farming and food production, etc. At the very top, in a level reserved only for the Archmage, was the exit to the Barrier. In each level there was a gateway that would lead either up or down based on the magic you sent into it. If a being entered the gateways without commanding it with magic or if that being was not a Mage, the gateway would transport them into a separate realm where they would go through a series or trials and tribulations. These “puzzle realms” essentially, weren't impossible to pass but as they got to more important locations they usually required an intellect that most beings besides Mages didn't possess. Needless to say, Mages were generally safe from any intruders. (Not that there were any since it seemed travelers stopped hiking the mountain many years ago.) Exiting the “tower” from the Archmage level would bring you to the barrier, whereas if you pushed further into the cavern entrance from the barrier you would be sent back through the system to the first level. This was just another fail-safe that had been set in place. All part of a sort of contingency plan created by your ancestors.

You came to a stop in front of a large structure covered in fresh snow.  Rustic looking and covered in a multitude of ancient magical glyphs around the edges, it stood out against its surroundings. It was made out of a stonelike material that responded to magic, but the ancient methods of how to create such a mineral was yet another thing lost to the tests of time. You felt the metal emblem on your chest buzz in response to the gentle hum the gateway was producing before the portal in the center reacted and changed from its normal pale blue glow to a congealed-looking pitch black that seemed to be mixed with a plethora of other shades.

You pulled your siblings to stand in front of you as you knelt down to look them in the eyes.

“Okay you two, now I need you to listen _REALLY_ closely to what I’m about to say.” You waited for the look of understanding to register on their faces as they both quietly nodded to you to continue. “I’ve never had any reason to use.. _this_ barrier with the two of you. For multiple reasons, but mainly because it's incredibly dangerous if you get lost in it okay? So please, no matter what, NEVER let go of my hand in there. I’m...not at all confident I can find you right away..” you closed your eyes and sighed, suddenly feeling 1,000 years old, “So, do we understand each other?”

“Yeah.”

“Yes..”

You squeezed their hands and stood up straight, taking a deep breath. “Okay..” you grumbled, “Let's just get this over with...it would take us too long traveling through the normal portals anyways..”

You felt your magic grip tight onto your siblings like a third arm as you pulled them through the portal after you.

 

* * *

 

When you finally emerged on the other side of the portal with your luggage still in tow, you felt yourself give a breath of relief. Immediately, you pulled them in front of you as you felt the portal close behind you. You checked them over for any signs of anything wrong before Michael started getting annoyed and pushed your worrying hands away from where you were currently squeezing his face as you looked intently into his eyes.

“Okay, okay.” You let go of his face but quickly pulled the two into your arms. “I just...I needed to make sure you both were alright. I’ve never transported more than myself through that type of portal and I wasn’t sure we’d make it through alright…”

You sighed once before letting them go.

“C’mon. We have a couple more slightly less scary gateways to get through before we’re at the barrier okay?”

They nodded and took your hands once again as you walked further into the space you appeared in. It was a room that you personally never had to use when there were still... _others_. In the past, it wasn’t yet your place to enter this room or any of the levels above it and your brothers were too young to remember what purpose these upper rooms held.

This room in particular wasn’t all too big. In the center was a large, wooden round table that seemed to keep itself upright in the air without the use of legs. Ancient levitation magic, you supposed. Floating around the table were six wooden chairs seemingly made out of the same type of wood the table was constructed out of. At the far end of the table from where you entered the room from the gateway was a chair that seemed of significantly more importance than the others. Regal and throne-like, the back of the chair extended upwards into three tall spires. Engraved along the back of the throne was a symbol that you had become very intimate with ever since you were... _appointed_ the role of Archmage. In it there was a four-point star surrounded by a circle which was in turn enclosed in a crescent moon with the tips pointing downwards, almost as if embracing the circle. This symbol was known as the Mage Crest (the fancier name of course having been lost with the ancients). It was the same one that you now adorned on your chest as the Archmage.

You pulled the two across the room with you towards the next gateway before two beings jumped down from the arms of the throne to stand in front of you, blocking your way. _The Archmage_ _guardians_. Conjured with the same Archaic magic it had took to create this space, the two were made to protect the upper Archmage levels from anyone without the permission to enter. Though their appearance changed with the ascension of each new Archmage, their foundation essentially stayed the same. They took the form of cats (though perhaps mountain lions or bobcats would be more accurate with the sheer size of them) with twin tails and eyes that glowed completely in the same light blue shade of your own. A shade that symbolized the presence of Mage magic.

They bowed low to you before looking at your brothers with inquisitive eyes.

 

**Finally fulfilling one of your duties?**

**Finally ready to accept your role?**

**We grow tired of these forms.**

**We too, are not at full strength.**

**We are not effective this way.**

 

You looked at the two of them as their voices flowed into your mind. They were still in the forms they gained when your father had been Archmage. Their bodies were a gray stonelike material and even though logic would lead you to believe they might be heavy and feel rough to the touch, they were surprisingly soft, warm and gentle. Your father's personality personified. You felt your heart again give a twinge of pain that you once more pushed away, albeit more gently this time. He was gone, you knew this. And though the guardians took the form of when he was still around you knew there would be a day in which that would change. A day where you'd finally tap into the power you should have as the Archmage and the guardians’ appearances would change as was only proper. 

“I know..” you looked around at the four others in the room, meeting their gazes, “None of us are at the level we should be and though I have been looking for answers, for any clues to help us, I only turn up empty handed.” you sigh as you look over to the throne behind you. “Please be patient for a while longer..I promise I'll reach the answer all of us are waiting for.”

 

**Very well, Archmage** **_._ **

**We praise you, Young One** **_._ **

**Perhaps fulfilling this duty today** **_._ **

**Will bring you a step closer to the answer which we all seek.**

 

They step to the side, granting your siblings permission through the Archmage levels. As for you, you were in fact the Archmage so you never had to gain their permission so long as you wore the cloak with the Crest on it. The gateway in front of you begins to emit a soft white glow as you approach and the portal opens. You turn your gaze to the guardians and they nod and assume their posts on the throne once more. You grip your siblings’ smaller hands in yours and pull them through to the next space.

 

* * *

 

When you emerge, the first thing you notice is the smell of old books. When you open your eyes and hear the portal behind you close, you’re greeted with the sight of one of your favorite places in the Mage Realm. _The Archives._ Candles float around slowly, lighting up the room, and there are chairs and tables spread around the space for seating. Your favorite lounge chair is still in it’s usual spot near the fireplace looking comfy and inviting, but the sound of shuffling next to you reminds you that you’re on a mission today. No time to research and relax.

“One more and then it’s the barrier.” You hear small hums in acknowledgement.

You cross the room again to the exit Gateway and walk into it.

 

* * *

 

When you emerge again, the sight in front of you has you a bit taken aback. Mages were indeed cunning creatures, perhaps just as cunning as _humans_ at times. You had already known that much from the _true history_ books in the Archmage room. But expecting to see one of the most beautiful rooms in the whole Mage Realm and instead being greeted with this long empty corridor (that you've also never seen before) only solidifies this fact to you. Mages really were cunning creatures. _Even to the point where they couldn't trust in those of their own race_. Your closed your eyes as you willed the turmoil in your heart to settle back down.

“Wooooow…this place is huuuuge!”

You opened your eyes and looked down to watch your younger siblings’ unbridled amazement. You felt your heart thaw once again.

“Yeah...it sure is huh? Come on you two, once we get to the end of this and we'll be at the place you've been pining for.” you smirked at the pouty faces they flashed you for teasing them.

The three of you walked forwards towards the last gateway. All around you was a gentle buzzing as the corridor lit up a brilliant white before fading back to black.

“Can you guys feel that?” you glanced down towards the two of them as Michael gave you a confused face and Matthew’s took on a look of concentration before giving up, slightly miffed, as he shook his head. ( _Mental note: no sensitivity towards the Archmage level’s magic density)._

“That's okay. We're not in a hurry for that, right?” You gave them a gentle, reassuring smile that they returned.

The three of you walked in gentle silence until you got to the last gateway. This one was grander and somehow felt more ancient but like the others located on the Archmage levels it also had a soft white glow radiating from it.

“Are you guys ready for this?” They nodded their heads vigorously causing you chuckle but well, you weren't exactly surprised either so to speak. You _had_ been a bit hard to approach on the topic for the last two years.

They beamed sunny smiles up at you and the three of you passed through the last gateway together.

 

* * *

 

The first thing you noticed as you felt the magic settle around you was the fresh,crisp air filling your lungs. The second was the sound of gasps as your little brothers opened their eyes and saw the Surface for the first time. You opened yours slowly as you looked up and let go of their hands.

It was snowing lightly in the Surface cave. The snow came from a skylight high up above you, but you knew it was probably more around fall on the Outside. You leveled your gaze as you looked towards the thing that held your siblings attention.

_The Barrier_

It was massive and ancient but looked every bit as it did two years ago when you came here with your parents. The twins had been too young to remember those trips you took as a family so you understood the wonder in their eyes as they took it in completely. Like the gateways in the Mage Realm, the inscription on the sides was probably as ancient as the barrier itself. A dead language. Just another thing that you haven't yet been able to find the answers to. The three of you approached the structure slowly. The closer you got to it, the brighter the glow of the barrier got until the _true shade_ overpowered the rest to show through. You felt your throat clamp and your lungs cling onto the air inside them, not letting you intake anymore. Before you knew it, warm tears made their way down your cheeks as you stumbled forward and placed your hand gently against the barrier. You fell to your knees as you trembled and placed your forehead against it as well. You heard small sniffles to your sides and you pulled yourself together just enough to look up and see your brothers staring at the barrier, wide-eyed with tears also making tracks across their cheeks.

“I-Is this…?” Michael bit his bottom lip as it started quivering before he could finish his question. Matthew on the other hand was already sobbing openly next to him. ( _Mental note: Both are sensitive to the souls contained in the Barrier.)_

You nodded and attempted a smile, but you knew based on their expressions it had come out lopsided and full of the pain you felt on the inside.

“Y-Yeah,” you choked out, “it's him. It's _dad_.”

They took another look at the barrier in front of you before turning to bury their faces into you. You held them tight and the three of you sat there and just _cried_.

 

* * *

 

You wiped their faces free of tears and the three of you sat together in silence. The blue-green glow of the barrier filled your souls with a deep calm, as if in consolation for your grief.

“Do you remember what traits light blue and green stand for?” your voice felt thick as you spoke and you paused to clear your throat.

Matthew spoke first. “Light blue stands for Patience.” his voice was quiet and barely audible.

“G-Green is for K-Kindness.” Michael's voice cracked as he spoke and you nuzzled their heads under your chin before replying.

“Yeah, thats right...and what do those colors mean?”

“They mean that dad was someone patient and k-kind..” Michael’s lip started quivering again.

“Yeah...yeah thats right..” Silence settled over you three once again.

“So..you guys had questions you wanted to ask me? Now would be the time, but remember what I said before we left the house, okay? Accept the answers I give you..because I don't know everything either..”

“Why is the barrier that color? Why is dad’s soul there? Wh-what happened to m-mom?”

Okay that's as good a place as any to start you supposed.

“Do you guys remember the story I read to you about what happens to mage souls?”

They nodded.

“Well, that happened to mom. She was called back home by the Great One and just like everyone else, she became a star that watches over us. So when we get out of here we'll be able to see her again. Dad, well..” your gaze drifted to the blue-green light weaving around itself. “Dad was the Archmage before me, remember? So his duty first and foremost is to protect his people...the Archmage isn't called back by the Great One because his soul power is needed by the barrier more. It's because dad's soul is here with the others before him that the barrier is standing to protect us until it's safe to leave and we don't need it anymore.”

“Why do the humans and monsters hate us? Why did they put mages here? We didn't do anything bad we were just helping everybody stop the war..” the question came out feeble. Mattie. So this is what's been heavy on him lately.

“Monsters don't trust Mages because we have magic. They don't trust us because we sealed them away in a place like this… Humans don't trust us because we scare them. They don't understand our powers and they're too scared to try to understand. We’re different from both of them and that makes them nervous.” There was far, far more to the story but what you said still rang true nonetheless.

The two asked question after question and you tried to answer them to the best of your ability. You weren't surprised at the endless stream of topics but you _were_ surprised at the sheer range of questions they came up with. They asked everything from how the Mage Realm was created to why it snowed on the surface if you were in a cave. You didn't have an answer for that one.

“Um….sis?” you turned to Michael and he nervously looked towards Mattie who shared the same nervous look. “You said..you said that dad’s a part of the barrier because he was the Archmage right? So is the same thing gonna happen to you? It's not, right? Right?!” you sat wide-eyed for a moment, not expecting the two of them to have come to that conclusion so soon. You slapped on a lopsided grin and ruffled their hair.

“Of course that's not gonna happen to me you silly heads! I'll always be here to protect my favorite little bros!” your tone calmed their fear even as yours ate at you inside.

The two of them giggled until a loud distinct sound filled the Surface cave with dead silence. You stood shakily with your hands outstretched towards the barrier, quivering.

“Wh-What? Why?”

 

_Crack. CR AC K._ **_C RA CK_ **.

 

The blue-green of your dad’s soul barrier was littered with millions of tiny cracks. That wasn't supposed to happen. Even if the barrier fell, the previous Archmage souls were supposed to be called back by the Great One first, leaving it the pure Golden color it was originally supposed to be. There were no records of cracked barr-.....no. NO.

You immediately turned to your brothers, grasping them by the shoulders, panic evident in your eyes. “I need you two to go home. NOW. I have to fix this before it gets worse.”

You pulled them to the entrance of the Mage Realm and pulled them into your arms for a quick hug. “I'm gonna fix this okay? Just go home and wait for me.”

You pulled one of **_those_ ** portals open before dashing through the darkness into the Archives. As you emerged breathless and shaking you cursed at yourself for not keeping a closer eye on your energy levels. You knew you couldn't take another jump now. You called in the Archmage Guardians as you tore through the portion of the archives that would hold the information you needed. You rambled questions about the history of the barrier to them as you tried to locate any information on how to repair a cracking soul barrier. Nothing. NOTHING. All of it useless! You slammed your hands on the desk in frustration as angry tears burned your eyes. He was protecting you! And just like last time you couldn't do a thing! Something unnatural was trying to force it's way through the barrier and there were no records on how to support the burden. Was being Archmage nothing but a title?

The Guardians stayed by your side in support through your rampage, but the three of you went completely still as you _felt_ the unmistakable feeling of the barrier shattering pierce through your being. Your breath came quick and shallow as you tried to call another one of **_those_ ** portals open to get to the Barrier. The only thing you received was a slight haze that faded away just as quickly as it had appeared.

 

**Young one…**

**You do not have enough energy…**

**The barrier…**

**The little ones…**

**You must go now!**

 

They nudged you forwards with their giant heads pushing the small of your back before you nodded at them and took off at a dead sprint with your mind filled only with getting to the barrier.

 

* * *

 

Michael and Matthew _knew_ there was something wrong. They knew even before you turned back to them with your eyes frantic. They knew because they _felt_ it. Sure, they had seen the cracks on the Barrier, but the feeling in the air was _something else_ entirely. Whatever was on the other side of the Barrier was filled anger, vengeance, _HATRED._ They didn't know how they knew. It wasn't as though they were able to sense magic before this, but this magic was filled with such heavy _INTENT_ that they wondered how you didn't feel it too. It petrified them. It made the words in their throats die as they nodded to whatever you were saying before you were all of a sudden just.. _gone._

Michael grabbed Matthew's hand and the two of them scrambled forwards to the Mage Realm. They'd been over this situation in theory with you many times. They knew all the answers to all the puzzle stages to get home and with the two of them working together there was no way they'd get stuck without your help.

They expected to phase right through to the Entrance. They expected to feel that underwater feeling they'd feel when they went through gateways with you.

They didn't however expect to feel a cold, hard surface where there should only be air.

The Mage Realm was **rejecting** them.

But why? Michael met Matthew's panicked expression with his own. Was it because something was trying to break in through the barrier? You, as the Archmage, had teleported inside so that was entirely possible. The two of them (they started trembling now as the sound of more cracks filled the cavern) weren't even at a level to be considered true Mages. For all the Mage Realm knew, they were mere _humans_ as their Energy hadn't made an appearance yet. Their souls didn't even look like Mage souls yet and they knew that had you more worried than you let on.

They stood trembling with their backs against the Mage Realm wall and looked up towards the Barrier. It looked a million times worse than it did when you left. How long had it been? Minutes? Seconds? It felt like an eternity.

The blue-green colors swirled angrily and it seemed to linger longer on the larger cracks. The two stared wide-eyed as the color slowly faded and began to turn a bright golden hue. There was a moment of complete silence before the gold shattered and all hell broke loose.

The twins felt their souls get yanked from their bodies even as they desperately tried to cling onto them. You practiced soul maneuvers with them enough for them to be able to protect themselves if they ever had to. But even with all the preparation in the world, their wills were no match for this raw level of power. The two were lifted off of the ground by large black and red tendrils and tossed out of the cavern. Michael cringed as he heard Matthew hit the ground with a sickening crack a short ways away from him. He tried to scramble to his feet, get to his twin, see if he's okay, but the thing from earlier was pushing down on his back, robbing him of his ability to breathe. He heard the screaming before he registered the burning pain of something stabbing into his forearm. Saw the hideous black and red haze loom over him with a sinister smile before a sudden bright blue object shot past it and the creature shrieked out and disappeared.

Michael's vision was hazy as he was gently lifted from the ground and cradled in arms as the person moved over to check on Matthew as well.

“shit. are you kids okay?”

Michael squinted up at the person who saved them and his dark blue eyes met worried eyelights.

“You're...not sis...but..thank you..” the adrenaline left his body and the pain caught up with the relief of being safe. Michael’s body willed him into a calm black and he lost consciousness in the arms of the stranger that had saved them.

 

* * *

 

The closer you got to the Barrier as you ran through the Archmage levels, the more accurately you _felt_ the fear that gripped your siblings’ souls. You could sense that something wasn’t right but as you broke out of the last gateway and saw the empty Barrier before you, you knew. The Barrier really _HAD_ broken. The ancient archway now stood empty and if you didn’t know better, you would think that was how it always looked. You looked around frantically for the two as the smaller footprints in the snow had stopped a ways before the opening to the Mage Realm Entrance. They were still out here. Why that was you’d be sure to ask about later but at this very moment finding them safe was your only concern.  As long as they were safe then the three of you could retreat back into the Mage Realm and bide your time until you deemed it was safe enough for them to go with you and explore the Outside.

You shivered as the feeling of malicious, evil intent crawled across your skin in waves. Something was very, VERY wrong and you had yet to find out what. You were frantic now, sprinting around looking for any other footprints in the snow. That’s when you heard the scream.

Your heart caught in your throat and all your senses trained on the direction it had come from. You took off running.

What you saw next woke something in you.

 

The first thing to register in your head was the blood on the ground.

Your breath came out shallow, labored.

 

The next you processed was Mattie lying still and immobile.

Your blood ran ice cold.

 

Then the figure gripping a bloodied Michael came into focus.

 

_A m on st er  di d  t h i s?_

 

That thing inside you snapped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, oh man. Que misunderstandings that cause strife between characters. They probly gon fight guys.
> 
> I hope you don't mind that you now have two little cuties to call your younger bros.
> 
> Shoot me any questions you have! I'd love to answer :D
> 
> And uh hey I have a tumblr so you can come ask me things there too: http://sesrins-symphony.tumblr.com/


	3. Sans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we get to know how Sans has been spending his time and just how EXACTLY he ended up on the mountain in time to save the twins at the end of the last chapter.
> 
> Basically a catch up with Sans chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yay! :D I got it out on Monday! ((at least it's still Monday where I am while I post this chap lol))
> 
> This chapter became a bit of a monster as I wrote it lol. Been trying to keep my chapters word counts to around 5,000 (or smaller) words cause sometimes people don't like massive chapters (and smaller chapters mean my updating can stay more consistent) but both this chapter and chapter 1 ended up wayyyyy off the mark at over 6,000. OML. I just hope it's okay and you're able to get through it.
> 
> Also thank you to everyone who commented and gave kudos! It means a lot!
> 
> Enjoy guys!

_Sans_

 

They’d been stuck in an endless loop for as long as he could remember. The first couple of runs had been cool. A couple of neutral runs at the beginning with the kid going through and testing different theories he supposed. Sure they didn’t get anywhere new but hey, at least the kid being in control of things gave him a nice break from the **weed**. They even got to see the surface for a nice minute once.

...

But then the kid had gone and reset right away. No explanation to him, no reason for it. But even then, things were still good for everyone for a bit. Sans just figured that maybe the kid wanted to spend more time in the Underground or something, even if it didn’t make sense to him. You know, with everyone having been stuck there for forever, but hey, whatever right? The kid was cool and Paps was happy. Everything was good. Heck almost great sometimes.

At least, until they started up the Genocide runs.

The first one happened right after a Pacifist run reset. Real shitty right? Everything was great and the sunset was just as beautiful as the first time Sans had seen it. And then BAM. He’s waking up in his bed again with Paps telling him to wake up and go recalibrate his puzzles. To say he was disappointed was an understatement. Now Sans wasn’t a very pushy guy if he could help it, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel a little betrayed by the kid. He wanted an explanation this time. Felt he deserved one even. So the next time he saw the kid again he had planned on taking a quick second alone to confront them about the whole ordeal.

But when the kid emerged from the door that go around, Sans automatically knew something wasn’t right. He didn’t need to see the kid’s hands covered in dust to be able to figure it out either. One peek at their Soul told him everything he needed to know.

_They weren’t capable of mercy this time._

Of course Sans still gave them the benefit of the doubt in the beginning. Kept waiting for the kid to stop whatever theory they were testing this go around. Kept waiting for when they would open their eyes and realize that all they were doing was hurting the people that cared about them. Even as he watched the kid kill monster after monster Sans stayed neutral to them.

That is until he witnessed them not even blink as they struck down his brother in cold blood.

But even then, in the back of his mind, Sans knew something was wrong. Even as he went through his Judgement spiel about 20 times that run, and then countless more times in the Genocide runs right after that, he just couldn’t shake the feeling that this couldn’t have been the same kid. What kid would be able to go through and murder all the people they cared about just for curiosity? The kid he had gotten to know wouldn’t have been able to.

Getting lost in thought had been his mistake that run. He thought he would be safe if he never took his turn. They could sit there for hours, heck even centuries for all he cared, just as long as the kid didn’t get to go and make them do it all over again. If he was “okay” with the resets before, you could say that by now he was very...“not okay”. For lack of a better means of expression anyways. Not like he cared much for things like an extensive vocabulary at this point though.

In his exhaustion, Sans had allowed his eyes to shut even as he stared at the red-eyed demon in front of him. That quick minute of shut-eye was enough. The next thing he knew there was that blinding, white-hot pain spreading across his chest again. Every other time he had been pissed, had taken a final swing at the kid once they reached this point. This time however, he laughed. It was slow and it hurt like a bitch, but he laughed at the shittiness of the whole situation they were in. He slowly shuffled his way past the kid, the two of them not even sparing a glance at each other, and looked up and saw his brother waiting for him.

“papyrus...do you…want anything?”

His eye sockets slowly drifted shut for the final time that run and suddenly everything was calm. There was only black.

He never knew exactly how long he’d stay in this state afterwards. Most of the time he’d be in this space alone, drifting. He knew he didn’t have a body even though he would often feel like he was floating. Eventually, he came to realize that this was probably where his soul resided in between runs. Here he’d be left to drown in his own thoughts, since there wasn’t any scenery around to actually look at and all. Not to mention the fact that it was always cold here. The fact that he could actually _feel_ the cold in this place however was always the bit that was concerning. Most of the time, cold just went straight through him.

Heh.

He didn’t know anymore whether or not he was actually chilled to the bone or if he was just numb to feeling at this point.

Hot? Cold? Those types of things just didn’t really matter all too much to him at this point, you know?

The next time he opened his eyes again, and heard Papyrus’ voice through the door before he left to his post, Sans just laid there in bed staring at the ceiling for a while. Didn’t move, didn’t think. Just stayed there listening to the dead silence and memorizing the way his bed felt against his bones.

When he did finally manage to peel himself off of his mattress he shuffled over to a mirror and took the first look at himself that he’s had in a long, long time.

There were dark bags under his sockets and his eyelights were incredibly dim. To the point where they almost weren’t even there. He sighed heavily and raked his hands down his face.

How much more of this would they go through?

He slowly shrugged on his hoodie and shortcut-ted to his station where he waited for the kid to emerge from the Ruins. He heard the telltale creaking of the ancient door opening and he moved to greet the kid with his usual spiel. Bring it on, dammit. He was ready for another Genocide run. And eventually the kid had to get bored of it right? They didn’t normally enjoy going through the same scenarios as their previous runs. If they ran out of new things to try, people to murder, they’d do something else right? Get bored and maybe finally just g i v e u p?

Sans walked up to the kid like usual, giving them some line about greeting pals. When he looked up from the floor to their face, however, he froze. The kid wasn’t covered in dust like the recent runs and they had tears and snot running down their face. He stood there shellshocked as the kid sobbed in front of him, shaking like a leaf, and mumbling apologies whenever they got enough air to do so. Sans rubbed the back of his skull as he sighed and contemplated whether or not he was really going to do what he was thinking of doing.

He was probably going to die right now. This was probably just another theory the kid was testing and he was going to die this quick into a run all because he could be too much of a damn softie.

He held his arms out before clearing his nonexistent throat and letting out a gruff sounding, “c’mere kid.”

Frisk flew into his arms and clung to his jacket like a lifeline, sobbing harder still and trying to get apologies out even though they clearly couldn’t.

“after you calm down we gotta talk alright?”

They could only nod their head vigorously as they hiccuped and attempted to breathe.

After that, Sans and the kid had a much-needed conversation. He learned about the spirit named Chara and how they had taken control of Frisk’s body during the Genocide runs. Sans also learned that Chara had managed to get them to reset whenever they reached a good ending by using mind games and tricking them. Even in this pure, Pacifist run, Frisk told him that they could still feel the presence of Chara’s soul attached to theirs. This newfound knowledge unnerved Sans, but Frisk assured him that Chara couldn’t take control in the middle of a timeline and that it was the end of it that they had to worry about. There, control of the next one was fair game and they wouldn’t know who was in control until the moment after Frisk woke up in the Ruins and emerged from the door once again.

The rest of the run went smoothly this time around. True to their word, Frisk was going through a Pacifist route and Sans was once again able to see them as the kid they were before. One look at their Soul told him everything he needed to know after all. There was a guilt that they seemed to shoulder as a source of strength that helped to keep their determination for mercy strong. They used the helplessness they felt during the Genocide runs to fuel their will to, once again, go through the motions and complete a Pacifist run.

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows though, Sans would know.

He knew the kid tried to avoid sleeping as much as possible, because they would wake up screaming in the middle of the night from nightmares while he was awake avoiding his own. He could also tell when those nightmares had something to do with him during the occasional moment where the kid wouldn’t be able to meet his gaze the next day or would avoid him altogether. He could understand though. There were times where Sans stopped seeing the kid in front of him and instead saw the red-eyed demon that slaughtered all his friends and Paps. He could tell when the kid knew he was on edge as well and the two eventually grew into a system of comfortable avoidance at times such as these. They didn’t talk about it. They didn’t have to.

The Genocide runs occurred almost as frequently as the Pacifist ones did at this point and Sans struggled with being grateful for when the two of them were cut a break from the slaughter every now and then. After being stuck in this seemingly endless cycle of death and hopeless hope, Sans found himself simply going through the motions once again. Yeah, it helped that he was no longer alone in the whole “only one who kinda remembers” predicament, but the fact that it was the kid who was stuck in this with him just made it that much worse. They had even seen the sun numerous times at this point as well, but eventually, even that stopped being a source of joy for Sans after the twentieth time it was ripped away.

Eventually, he’d started to just head straight back into the mountain at the end of a run. I mean seriously, what was the point? He’d already tried time and time again to get away from Mount Ebott with his brother and their friends and every time they ran they never seemed to make it even halfway down the mountain before he was dragged back, waking up in his bed with Paps at his door once again.

But even as time mocked him and crept on like this, Sans began to notice something that helped make everything just a little bit more bearable. After a Genocide run, when his soul was sent adrift in that cold, lonely, blank space, Sans had begun to notice times when it didn’t feel quite as cold or nearly as lonely. At first, he had himself believing that his mind was making it up as a means to cope. Made complete sense right? No doubt he suffered from all kinds of things at this point, so it wasn’t anything that seemed to be too far-fetched. But sometimes, there would definitely be times when it was as barren as he remembered it being. Which, ultimately, wouldn’t make sense if he was imagining it all up for his own benefit. So at the end of a Genocide run, or at least whenever Sans was knocked out of commission during the run, he began to make it a point to try and look for the source of the warmth. This consisted of endless amounts of blind soul wandering, which he supposed was better than staying put and becoming stagnant while waiting for the next run to start up. Eventually, he did end up finding it time and time again, with each occasion happening quicker than the last until he had the idle thought that perhaps the warmth had started searching for him too. So after being struck down once again by Chara, Sans tested this theory by staying put in the realm for the first time in forever as he patiently waited to see if the warmth was an entity that had been looking for him as well. A fair amount of time passed and he was ready to count the experiment as a failure when all around him he felt the tell-tale sensation of being surrounded in a gentle warmth.

“welp. you sure are somethin’ huh. you another lost soul like me?” Sans chuckled as he felt “them” push closer to him, apparently also needing the comfort of another in this lonely place. “too bad i don't know who you are. your soul doesn’t feel too familiar either, but I guess it’s not like we can understand each other here anyways.”

As the runs continued to flop back and forth between Pacifist and Genocide, Sans began to let himself take comfort in being spirited away to the empty space. In a way, it became his refuge. A place where he didn’t have to worry about anyone else. Here, there was no Chara. No Frisk. No one to protect and no one to lie to. It was empty and quiet, save for him and the other “Lost Soul”.

Those two things no doubt had a hand in keeping Sans sane throughout the numerous timelines that followed his discovery. Here, he was _finally_ able to relax and let down all the guards he had painstakingly built up in order to maintain a semblance of acting “normal”. He supposed it should be ironic that it was the moments just after a Genocide run that helped him maintain his sanity from them, but he’d often find himself feeling grateful more than anything. Waking up in the “Empty Space” meant that there would always be a reset afterwards. It meant that things would return to “normal”. It was a guarantee that he’d be seeing Paps again. And really, after “happy endings” essentially became nonexistent in Sans’ world, that was the only thing that really mattered at this point.

 

* * *

 

So when Frisk turned to him after a fairly normal Pacifist run with a look of shock on their face, you could say Sans was thrown for a loop. After going through the scripted sentences and scenarios, Sans pulled the kid aside instead of heading back into the mountain as per usual.

“what’s up kid? you look like you just saw a ghost or somethin’” They look up at him slowly and meet his questioning gaze with an unsteady one of their own.

“I...I don’t feel Chara anymore.”

_What?_

Sans feels his eye lights go out and he takes a moment to clear his non-existent throat. “uh, mind runnin’ that one by me again, kid?”

Frisk frowns at the look on Sans’ face and averts their eyes to the ground. “ _Chara_ . I don’t feel their spirit anymore Sans.” They grip tight to the front of their blue and pink sweater over their chest. “By now I’d feel them drag my Soul back into the Underground with them. I’d feel them force a reset and we’d be started over by now. But _look_ Sans. The sun is still rising and I feel..I feel _light_.”

The two of them stood there in heavy silence, if only to let the new information sink in.

_Was this it? Was Chara really gone? Is this the last run? Could they finally, finally move forward? Is this...freedom?_

Frisk turns to him with a look of joy abundant on their face, “Sans, are we..!”

Sans holds a hand up to stop Frisk before they asked a question that neither of them had the answer to, “look kid, i dunno for sure. could be that we’re being messed with. could be that this is all just another sick joke.” Frisk’s face falls a bit at that, knowing that yes, Chara _would_ mess with them like that. “we don’t know for sure, but if you say you don’t feel them and that continues being true? well then your guess is as good as mine.” Sans feels his eye lights come back and his strained smile relaxes into a more casual one. “for now we’ll keep an eye out. but since we won’t know til then, I say we might as well try to enjoy ourselves while we can. ‘sides, looks like there’s some people waitin’ on ya.” This prompts Frisk to turn around, and true to his word, there’s several of the main group standing around and chatting not too far from where Sans and Frisk were talking. Frisk excitedly bounces in place for a moment before wrapping Sans’ torso in a tight hug.

“I don’t know if Chara’s gone for sure, or even if this is going to last long...but I hope it does.”

Sans chuckles and pats the top of Frisk’s head, “me too kid. me too.” Frisk lets go of Sans and flashes him a gigantic toothy smile, before promptly taking off to join the others on the long trek down the mountain.

Sans stands at the exit of the Underground for a moment longer. He turns to look at the sunrise once again, now high in the sky at this point, and then shifts his gaze upward to see the blue sky stretching out above him. The air around him is solemn and he feels conflicted at their new predicament. This hasn’t happened before. It was new and unpredictable and he didn’t like that factor one bit. Not knowing what was going to happen gave too much room for something _to_ happen. Even now, when he was alone he couldn’t relax. And the one place he’d truly been able to? Well, unless their living nightmare turned out to still be going on (and that was something he didn’t wish on anybody), he knew he could kiss that small piece of twisted utopia goodbye. For a moment, he let his thoughts linger on the other “Lost Soul”. Whoever they were, he found himself wishing that they weren’t left wandering alone in the darkness like he had been.

Sans turned towards the path down the mountain and opened up a portal that would deposit him near his bro. He slapped his usual smile back on his face and promptly walked through it. At this point, all any of them could hope for was the best, even if he wasn’t the best at “hoping”. And besides, this was how things were originally supposed to be in the first place. Might as well make the most of it and “hope” that it never ends.

Sans caught up with the rest of the group and did that thing that only Sans does. He popped up suddenly, acting like he was with them the whole time, just in time for them to stumble upon a group of unsuspecting hikers. Once both groups spotted one another, there was a moment of dead silence with the group of humans looking very much like a bunch of deer caught in the headlights. If the headlights were attached to a lion that could eat them, that is.

One of the humans was the first to act, immediately turning around and hightailing it out of there, but both groups were too stunned at the situation to really take notice of that guy. That guy, we’ll call him Jim, since he seems like one. Now Jim’s the type of guy who was only out hiking because a couple of his friends decided it would be a “fun” and “totally worth it” way to spend one of his only days off of work. Jim had been dragged outdoors even when the only thing he actually wanted at that point was to sleep in and finally get to make use of some masseuse and spa tickets he had gotten as a joke from some coworkers. Hah, joke’s on them since he had actually planned on using them! But no, oh no. Somehow, he had friends who viewed being healthy as more important than his one and only day of relaxation. Well unlike the rest of them, Jim deemed living as more important than being healthy. So his reaction when he spotted the group of monsters after turning a bend with the rest of the hiking group? _Of course_ , he bolted. Yeah, he was already tired. Yeah, he could probably win a marathon that paid more than his current job with the speed he took off running out of there. Yeah, he forgot that he didn’t _actually_ drive his own car to the hiking trail and that meant that there was no way for him to _LEAVE_. But all that didn’t matter to Jim. Jim, who was still attending school. Jim, who was still auditioning for small plays with directors who just didn’t understand his unbridled PASSION. Jim, who still dreamed of making it in the big times. Jim, Jim, JIM. Oh, Jim. What a guy.

Upon witnessing the first human turn tail and run, Papyrus was the second person quickest to act. He immediately strolled over to the group of humans and shook their hands vigorously as he introduced himself as the soon-to-be-famous mascot, “THE GREAT PAPYRUS.” The humans were dumbfounded as they nodded and mumbled out answers to the multitude of questions he began throwing at them. Yes, they knew what spaghetti was. Yes, the ingredients were sold in “human stores”. No, glitter was not an ingredient that typically went into the dish. Yes, there were even restaurants that focused on serving spaghetti and pasta-type dishes as their main courses. Yes, there were schools that would teach you this type of cooking. No, spaghetti was not typically eaten everyday or for every meal throughout the day.

It was at this point in the conversation that Frisk decided to step in as the Monster race’s new Human Ambassador. Seeing as to how Papyrus had already gone and broken down all the walls that would have prevented communication with this group of humans, frisk ended up telling the hikers their story. How they had fallen into the Underground, but then proceeded to befriend and save a race that had been forgotten about and trapped below Mt. Ebott for a full millenia. It took a bit of storytelling convincing and some hikers had to repeatedly pinch themselves (one even asked their friend to slap them in the face for good measure) before they realized that they were in fact awake and that yes, this was a thing that was actually happening right now.

From this point, Toriel and Asgore stepped forward and introduced themselves as the King and Queen of the Underground and “if the humans would be so kind as to assist them in getting into contact with the rulers of the country, that would be most helpful”. Cue awkward and unpracticed curtsying and bows to the King and Queen before the group once more began to make their way down the mountain after the hikers explained that they didn’t get cellphone reception in an area so far removed from civilization.

This method of befriending humans later on became known to the monsters as the 1-2-3 rule, with Papyrus being number one as he is quite obviously, “VERY GREAT AND THEREFORE NUMBER ONE”, and was utilized a multitude of times during the unveiling of the monster race to the humans. And even though progress was slow going in terms of monster rights, everyone was joyous as it was still considered progress nonetheless.

Well, everyone except for Sans that is.

Sure, it was great that they were finally out of the Underground and the humans seemed to _actually_ be excited over the prospect of monsters integrating into society. They even built them a temporary surface town to settle down in and basically gave them the land around Mount Ebott to call their own. But even with all these great and wonderful things happening, Sans couldn’t help but feel like a rug would be pulled out from under him any day now. Each night when he settled into bed after reading Papyrus a bedtime story, Sans couldn’t help but wonder if, when the next time he opened his eyes, he would be staring up at the wooden ceiling above his bed in Snowdin once again. After being stuck in limbo for so long, nothing felt _permanent_ to Sans anymore. He spent every waking moment on high alert, just _waiting_ for something to happen. Expecting it almost.

Which is why, after about a full seven days of this behavior, this endless well of restlessness, Sans was _immediately_ able to feel the strong surge of magic that came rolling in waves over “New, New Home”. It was why he had already been long gone when the Monarchs and other pre-war monsters finally felt it as well.

Asgore immediately sent orders out to the Royal Guard to have the people placed under a protective lockdown until they could ascertain the source of the magic. It felt ancient, yet at the same time nostalgic. But it wasn’t a pleasant type of nostalgia this magic was dredging up either.

They only knew one magic besides their own well enough to make them feel that type of way.

And the owners brought back nothing but terrible memories of a time best left forgotten.

 

* * *

 

Sans could feel his magic coursing through him as he zeroed in on the magical source. It was strange and definitely left him with some mixed feelings. On the one hand this new magic felt as familiar as monster magic did to him. On the other, it was making his magic react in some seriously strange ways. Whether that was actually an accurate observation, or if it was just the anticipation and anxiety finally having an outlet, he didn’t know for sure.

But as Sans got closer and closer, he gradually became aware of something else that set him on edge. There was a second magical signature that had been almost completely obscured by the first. And although it was multitudes of times smaller, Sans _knew_ this one. Only one being held that much hatred and pure _evil_ in their soul for it to feel like tar over his bones.

_Chara._

Sometimes, Sans hated being right.

Sans broke out into a clearing in the trees that opened up to front of a large cavern of some sort. In front of it was what he could only _guess_ to be Chara’s current form. Suffice to say, they looked nothing like they did in the Underground. Even with Frisk’s oh-so-lovely description of their “melting face” appearance at the end of a Genocide Run.

From what Sans could see, they didn’t have so much of a _form_ now either, as all around.. _.IT_ were congealed looking red and black _tentacles_ . For lack of a better description anyways. It _did,_ however, still have that disgusting smile plastered onto it's face as it leaned over something on the floor in front of it.

The sudden piercing scream was what broke Sans out of his observations and his vision shifted from the _creature_ to what was currently struggling in it’s hold underneath it.

It had a **_kid_ **.

One that seemed to be even younger than Frisk, with another one that was motionless on the ground not too far away from them. Sans felt himself summon one of his blasters at the exact moment he saw another black and red appendage lift up in preparation to deal another blow.

_It made him SICK._

He let loose a shot and _reveled_ in the way it screeched upon impact before immediately taking off running into the woods. He swore under his breath as he tried to use his magic to pin down what ever _that_ kind of thing had left of its' SOUL.

But of course.

_It didn’t HAVE one._

Sans quickly ran over to the poor kid on the floor and gingerly lifted him off of the bloody ground. He moved over to check on the other one as well.

“shit. are you kids okay?”

He made sure to check the pulse of the one on the floor before looking back to the one he had cradled in his arms. The smaller one seemed to have only gotten knocked out, if the stream of blood flowing from behind his bangs was any indicator, but the one in Sans’ hold didn’t seem like he was faring too well. He was bleeding heavily from one of his arms (Sans guessed that was where Chara had stabbed him) and his breathing was shallow, almost nonexistent. It was a wonder how the kid was still conscious.

The kid looked as though he were trying to find someone, before blearily meeting Sans’ worried gaze with a relieved one of his own.

“You're...not sis...but..thank you..”

As soon as the words were out the kid’s eyes slid closed and he slumped into unconsciousness.

Sans carefully adjusted him in his arms and tried to make room for the other one as well. They were too far away from New, New Home for Sans to be able to levitate one of them at the same time as short-cutting. He wasn’t about to risk being out of commission in the same woods that Chara had just escaped into either. If they had an outward form like _that_ , then for one thing it meant that they weren’t in control of Frisk anymore. And Sans wasn’t about to take a gamble on whether or not that had any effect on Frisk’s ability to reset and load.

The kid in his arms whimpered and Sans slowed down his movements in case he had jostled him too much. He took a quick peek at their HP stats to see how the kiddos were faring, but it wasn’t looking too good for either of them at the moment. What he would give to have healing magic at his disposal, right now. He’d have to get them to Tori as soon as possible.

Sans leaned down to pick the smaller one up off the floor before a light blue orb shot past his face and stopped him in his tracks. It missed him by an extremely narrow margin and he glanced behind him toward the tree it had impacted, just to see a hole burned clear through the thing.

_what?_

It was then that he realized that the “magical source” had been covering up an additional signature. That, or Sans had been completely focused on Chara, that he just hadn’t noticed this one. His least favorite option was that this one had somehow concealed or obscured themselves from being detected until just now.

Sans felt his eyelights disappear as he looked towards the late arrival.

They were unlike anything he had ever seen before and he liked to think he’d seen a lot in his days. They were dressed in a large white cloak that trailed down to the floor and had a metallic gray emblem on their chest. Their hair was snow white and all across their skin from where he could see were light blue markings that seemed to be _glowing_ with magic coursing just under the surface.

They lifted their right hand towards him and his magic flared up involuntarily in response.

 _This person was_ **_dangerous_ ** _._

“ _P u t  t h e  k i d  d o w n_.”

Sans could feel his bones quaking at the sound of their voice, but whether that was from the raw power it held or something else entirely he wasn’t sure. He let out a slightly breathless, mocking laugh.

“buddy. listen. you must think i’m _crazy_ if you think i’m leaving these two here with _YOU_.”

They bristled at his response and their eyes began to glow in that same shade of light blue that covered the rest of them. Sans began to feel a slight tugging at his soul before noticing the corners of their mouth turn downwards into a frown.

 _Were they...trying to_ **_judge_ ** _him?_

_Two could play at that game._

 

* * *

 

“ **N/A** ”  
  
LV **eR R or**  
HP **Er rO r**  
  
AT **erR oR** EXP: **E Rr or**  
DF **e Rr or** NEXT: **Er rOR**  
  
* **Dangerous**.

 

That...shouldn’t be possible. Sans blinked in disbelief before trying once again.

He couldn’t get a read on them.

_Not possible._

In all his time as his role as “Judge”, this has never happened before.

Every stat he looked at showed up as eerie “ **e r r o r** “ messages in his vision. The boxes blinked in and out of existence almost like they were _glitching_.

 _His_ magic didn’t glitch.

Which meant that this had to be something of _their_ doing. A way they were preventing him from getting an accurate read on his stats.

But, from the look on their face it seemed they were having trouble reading him as well.

Well...no matter.

Sans wasn’t about to stick around long enough for them to test out how much HP he _actually_ had. They could sit there trying to read him all they want, but as soon as he had an opportunity to make a quick get away, he was outta there.

He flexed his fingers, just itching to summon a blaster and split while they were distracted.

At that exact moment, a whimper escaped the kid behind him and their eyes immediately darted down and away from Sans.

_Perfect._

He pulled out two blasters and fired several shots in succession as he leaned down and hoisted the smaller kid onto his free shoulder, rag-doll style. When he looked up he realized that one of his blasters must’ve hit the ground instead of the target because there were clouds of dust kicked up around where the figure had once been standing. Two orb shots suddenly came flying out from the dust cloud towards him and he quickly manifested a wall of bones to shield from the attack.

Sans quickly opened a portal and stepped through, even if only to be out of their immediate kill-zone. While he wouldn’t be able to shortcut directly to New, New Home (not to mention not wanting to risk bringing anything immediately dangerous back with him), Sans felt himself relax slightly as he stepped out to the other side located somewhere in the sea of forest surrounding Mount Ebott.

Now he had hoped that they would lose his trail, maybe give up on their “prey” or whatever crazy reason they wanted these human kids for. He knew that the chances were slim. That something with that level of power would probably be able to locate him in a heartbeat. But he’d be lying if he said part of him wouldn’t be disappointed if they actually weren’t able to. Whether that was disappointment in his own misjudgement of their power or in his own sense of self-preservation he didn’t know.

What Sans _didn’t_ expect however, was to feel a shift in the space next to him as they opened a portal after him, hot on his trail. He reacted immediately and shortcut-ted away once again after leaving a few blasters as a welcoming party for their arrival. As he stepped through and saw the bright blue of his cannons flash through the trees far away from him, Sans made sure he didn’t make the same mistake twice. He whirled around and immediately aimed bones at the air where he had shortcut-ted in from and _waited_.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, they appeared from thin air right where he had once been standing. They looked absolutely _livid_ and if Sans wasn’t worried about the kids in his arms and the safety of everyone he held dear to him, he would’ve laughed. Well...okay, that was a lie. He did chuckle at their expense. But he would’ve laughed harder.

“well, aren’t you just full of surprises?”

They glowered at him from where they stood, held back by his wall of bones. They lifted their hands palm up in front of them as if simply beckoning him over, but Sans just stood there and looked at them like they were crazy. That is until he felt the wavering souls of the two he currently held in his arms. Sans watched in disbelief as they started to pull the two small souls over to their open hands.

Again.

_What?_

Whatever they were trying to do the souls, they _must_ be crazy if they thought that Sans was just going to let it happen _right in front of him_. His left eye flashed blue and he immediately plucked the souls out of their grasp and returned them to their proper places. The soft look that had crossed over the cloaked figure’s face immediately vanished and for a long second it seemed like time stood still before the gates of hell unleashed their fury upon Sans.

Their hands slowly dropped down from in front of them as if in disbelief, before they quickly swept them out to their sides and numerous orbs filled the space between their body and Sans’ wall of bones. With a forward flick of their left wrist they sent their glowing orbs careening into Sans’ projectiles before following up with a sweeping motion from their right. This worked to effectively remove Sans’ barricade as well as open him open for the follow up attack.

Anyone else would’ve gotten struck, but Sans was a master at the art of evasion at this point. Even with the added load of two passengers, he still managed to effortlessly side-step their attempt to hit him, before sending a flurry of bones back in the other direction. They deflected his attack with one of their own, but admittedly weren’t quite as prepared for the blasters that came afterwards. They were struck several times, yet still managed to stand back up for a counter attack.

Just how much HP did they _have_?

And while he was confident that he could keep up this game of cat and mouse going for a little while longer, Sans had the feeling that the kiddos might not exactly be in the best of conditions to last that long. He also had the sneaking suspicion that he might be potentially reaching his limit much too soon from the intensity of this fight. Especially, if he was planning on still be able to shortcut them the rest of the way back to New, New Home.

It’d been a long time since Sans could last remember actually fighting to protect something. You’d think that with that kind of pressure on his shoulders, and with as many times as he’s battled to the death as he has, that he’d be able to recognize when something he was doing had the potential to get him dusted.

Such as right now at this very moment, when he’s lost in thought on ways to escape, instead of the many ways that an enemy with the power to _wield magic_ could potentially cause him harm.

He _felt_ the surge of magic behind him before he could even lift his hand in time to protect himself from the blow.

 _Smart. Or_ _cunning_. Depended on how you looked at it, really.

This was it. This was how he went in a timeline where they had finally made it to a week on the surface and things were actually starting to look up for them. Well, he supposed there were definitely _worse_ ways to go than protecting a couple of kids that couldn’t protect themselves.

He closed his eyes and waited for the hit to come.

 _Only it never did_.

“NYEEHHHHHHHHH! FEAR NOT, DEAR BROTHER! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS HERE!”

Sans’ eyes flew open to the sound of his brother’s boisterous voice and he immediately looked behind him to see a bone the size of a door protecting his back.

Yeah. His brother was the best.

The cloaked figure looked taken aback at the sudden appearance of Papyrus before immediately looking as white as a skeleton as Frisk popped their head up and over his shoulder. They started to tremble and their eyes reverted back to their normal, non-glowing state as they shot a frenzied look towards the two humans still in Sans’ grasp, before immediately rushing him from across the “battlefield” in what seemed to be a last ditch effort on their part to obtain the two once again.

They used some type of teleportation magic in order to quickly “jump” in front of Sans and trap him between them and the bone wall behind him. With being taken by surprise in such a manner, Sans didn’t have any time to summon his magic or get away.

Needless to say, when their face went from extremely panicked to completely blank, followed by them falling to the ground next to him, you could say he was pleasantly surprised.

“WHY HUMAN, I MUST APOLOGIZE. BUT THIS WAS NECESSARY BOTH THE SAFETY OF YOU AND MY BROTHER.”

Papyrus stood with a club-sized bone in his grasp and he bent over at the waist to check on the knocked out “human”.

Sans breathed out a sigh of relief. That definitely ended better than he thought it would.

“hate to break it to you paps, but that’s no human.”

“OH. WELL. WHAT ARE THEY THEN?”

“dunno.”

Papyrus put a hand to his chin in thought before glancing over to the small humans in Sans’ arms.

“SANS. THESE HUMANS ARE INJURED. WE NEED TO GET THEM MEDICAL ATTENTION.”

“yeah, bro. was on my way to do that ‘til I got a little tied up with the white knight over here.” Sans looked over to the cloaked figure still slumped over on the ground

“SANS! THIS IS NO TIME FOR YOUR TOMFOOLERY.”

“yea, sorry Paps.” Sans sighed and looked between the kids in his arms and the person on the ground before shifting to hand off the two kids for Papyrus to carry. “here. since you already have Frisk, why don’t you carry these two back with you to Tori?”

“WHAT ABOUT THE NON-HUMAN?”

“i got ‘em. when we get to town, i’ll ask Asgore about what to do with them since they use magic and seem to be pretty dangerous. doubt he wants that wandering around. ‘specially when we haven’t met any others like them up here.”

“YES. THAT DOES SEEM TO BE THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION.”

Papyrus gently shifted the children in his hold similarly to how a parent would hold their twin newborns. As in, one in each arm and cradled to his chest. Sans wrapped his magic tightly around the “Non-Human’s” soul and kept them levitated behind them as the skeleton brothers walked back to the settlement.

“hey Paps?”

“YES, SANS?”

“Thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo for Readz' mage marking thingies basically just think a simple type of tribal tattoo design, only it's not a tattoo, it runs across their entire body, it's normally pale in color (compared to their skin tone), and it glows blue when they're using their magic. It may become more of a factor later on into the story as well.
> 
> So uh questions? Thoughts? Let me know in the comments below! I'll be happy to answer :D  
> Also what do you guys think about the chapter lengths so far? Should I make them shorter? Are you okay with them being crazy long like this?
> 
> And uh hey I have a tumblr so you can come ask me things there too: http://sesrins-symphony.tumblr.com/


	4. Who's to Blame?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've been captured by Sans and are taken to the new monster settlement, New New Home. What's going to happen when they find out you're a Mage? And your siblings? What about them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh sorry this one took a while guys! Last week I had college finals and this chapter was being a little bit of a pain to write out lol. It's also shorter than the previous ones, not even breaking 5,000 words so that was kind of surprising to see. Hope you enjoy though!

The walk back to the monster settlement was a stressful one, even as Papyrus tried to keep the conversations light. The air was still tense from the events that had transpired and Sans kept glancing back at the “non-human” he was carting behind them, as if he expected them to disappear one of the times he looked back.

He used his magic to put their hood up as they got closer to their destination. Last thing anybody needed at this point was for someone other than Asgore to see them, recognize the cloaked figure, and start a ruckus. Everyone would, no doubt, still be feeling uneasy from the waves of ancient magic that passed over the settlement earlier and it would cause more trouble than was currently needed.

Sans felt himself visibly relax as they came upon the familiar buildings and spotted the usual group in the main street. As soon as Asgore and Toriel spotted them, the two monarchs quickly began walking over, knowing that Sans had gone to check out the source of the ancient magic earlier.

When they caught sight of the injured children in Papyrus’ arms however, Toriel all but started sprinting over with Asgore in tow.

But when the duo got closer and finally gained view of the floating figure behind Sans, their steps faltered. If their fur didn’t already make them snow white, their faces would have paled upon viewing that ever-familiar white cloak.

Toriel took a step towards Sans, her gaze focused on the figure he carried behind him, until Asgore put an arm out in front of her, stopping her in her path. The two shared a look of urgency before she moved over to the twins in order to address the more immediate injuries they had sustained. As Asgore instead began to approach the cloaked figure, she kept glancing up from her first aid, as if unsure of whether or not Sans’ magic would contain them. If Sans was being honest with himself, he’d say he felt the same exact way.

“take it you guys know what they are then?”

“Perhaps. Only one such race wore this kind of attire and the humans nowadays don’t seem very fond of the clothing from that time. We had hoped, with seeing humanity today, that we’d seen the last of _them_ a millennia ago.” Asgore’s voice takes a slightly bitter tone as he speaks, surprising all those present except for Toriel, as most would not expect to hear such harsh words from their usually gentle ruler.

Asgore slowly reaches out and pulls back the cloak’s hood, exposing your visage to your audience. Once he spots your snow white hair and mage facial markings however, he rips his hand away as if he’s been burned. Behind him, Toriel lets out a horrified gasp.

His face sets into a grim expression as he tells Toriel to take care of the twins injuries and instructs Sans to follow him.

 

* * *

 

“mind filling in the blanks? like who are they? or _what_ are they?” Sans asks as he and Asgore walk through the empty settlement with their luggage in tow.

“...Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: Humans and Monsters. At the time, there were actually two very different types of humans, but we had referred to them all as “humans” nonetheless. There wasn’t any reason to make a distinction in the days before the Great War: the War Between Humans and Monsters. Such as how there is a vast amount of different flowers, but we can still call them all _flowers_.”

Sans gives him a sideways glance as if asking him to continue.

“The humans were categorized between the Ordinary, those without magic but held powerful SOULs, and the Mages, those with magic but which held, in comparison to the Ordinary at least, weaker SOULs. When the humans sealed the Monster race into the Underground, they did so with the power of the Mages. It took the work of seven of their greatest magicians to perform a spell powerful enough to seal us in the underground for as long as they did. Though we also were creatures of magic, the Mages still had their “human” souls which gave them the combative edge against ours.”

Sans glanced over his shoulder at their new “prisoner”.

“so basically what you’re saying is that they’re..”

“Mage. Yes, that is correct. It may be a different day and age, but it seems the appearance of their race has changed as little as I have since that time. The snow white hair. The markings on their face. I have no doubt in my mind that if she were to open her eyes right now, she’d be glaring at us with ice blue irises in the same manner her ancestors once had long, long ago. ”

Sans went silent at that, recalling the way your irises had glowed with your magic when he first laid his eyes on you. He felt his soul thrum softly in response. He pushed it back down.

“so what do we do now, boss? think there’s more of them? with how excited the humans are over the prospect of _our_ magic, i think it’s safe to say they don’t know about the Mages anymore.”

Asgore contemplated this notion as they walked along.

“...We will hold this one in captivity. Question her. Find out what happened after the Great War, after we were sealed underground. It would seem that they haven’t changed for the better, even after all this time, if the first thing they do is attack you and those children.”

“actually, what hurt those kids that badly was... _something else_ . yeah she seemed pretty desperate to get them for some reason. you could say almost de- _void_ of all other emotion as she chased me down.” Sans chuckled at his own pun before side-glancing at Asgore once more, “far as i know she didn’t lay a finger on them. but...gotta admit, Asgore. never went up against anything quite like _that_ . couldn’t even get a proper _Judgment_ on her stats. if you’re planning on keeping her here, how are we gonna keep that kind of power in check?”

At that moment they walked up to their destination, a building in the shopping district of New, New Home known as “Gerson’s Antiques”.

Asgore knocked on the wooden door and a minute later it opened to reveal a chipper, old turtle.

“Well, if it ain’t ol’ King Fluffybuns! What can I-” his question died at the sight of the white cloak peaking out from behind Sans.

Asgore wasted no time on friendly greetings.

“Gerson, my old friend... I believe you already know what I’m here for.”

The air suddenly turned tense as Gerson looked from Asgore to Sans and back over to the cloaked figure once again.

“I knew those waves of old magic weren’t a coincidence...but to think that we’d be seeing them again after all that happened,” he sighed, shaking his head and moving to shut his door. “Gimme a sec.”

When Gerson returned he held an ornate jewelry box in his hands. It was rectangular in shape and seemed to be made out of a wood-like material with monster-gold accents running along the corners and clasp.

He hesitated for a moment as he stared down at the ancient box with a frown on his face.

“Dreemurr, are you sure you wanna resort to this? Times have changed...even the humans are nothin’ like they were a millenia ago.”

“We have no choice. For all we know they could be sending reinforcements as we speak. I refuse to risk the newfound freedom of my people for the comfort of a single Mage. I’m sure...you of all people can remember the carnage left behind by the ones whose powers were left unchecked...”

Without another word Gerson handed the box over to Asgore.

“Well, Fluffybuns you’re King for a reason. So I guess all that matters in the end is your call.”

Gerson moves to close his shop doors once more.

“And here I was hopin’ all that war stuff could finally be put behind us. Guess when you’ve lived as long as we have, things like war just make you tired.”

 

* * *

 

Sans and Asgore stood in front of Gerson’s shop for a while after the doors were finally closed. Asgore’s gaze lingered on the wood of the door in front of him before they slowly drifted down to the box he now held in his hands. His shoulders slumped downwards as his expression turned into one full of sorrow. The box looked tiny in his hands, but Sans knew there was always more than what meets the eye.

“uh..Asgore? shouldn’t we, i dunno, get a move on? kinda doubt our _friend_ here will stay asleep all day.”

“Yes...Yes, you’re right.”

He took a moment to breathe out a sigh before straightening up and turning to walk back to the center of the settlement.

“For now, we’ll keep them in a guarded room near the “Palace”. With the artifact in this box we shouldn’t have to worry about their magic, but even so, I want someone capable to be stationed at their cell at _ALL_ times.”

“uh, yeah sure, you got it, Asgore. but shouldn’t you be telling this to Undyne, not me?”

“I’m well aware of the extent of your abilities, Sans. You’re more than capable of handling this Mage, especially once we’ve gotten their magic under control. But yes, I will inform Undyne myself once we’ve placed this Mage where they need to be. She’s currently under orders to maintain public anxiety from the waves of magic that everyone no doubt felt earlier. In fact, all of the Royal Guard were given those orders. Which is why I sent your brother out after you when you disappeared earlier.”

Sans immediately stopped walking at that admission.

“...y o u   w h a t ?”

“Sent Papyrus to your aid once you took off towards the magic source.”

“...do you have any idea what could’ve...! you have _NO_ _IDEA_ what was in those woods with me! he could’ve gotten hurt or   _w o r s e_. what if he was the one to find this Mage first?!”

“Sans.” Asgore gave him an indignant look, “I will ask you to watch your _tone_ . While we have also known eachother personally for a long time, I am still your _King_. I will do what’s best for my people and that includes you.”

Sans willed himself to calm down and blinked back in his eyelights.

“..yeah, i get that. but Asgore do me a favor. next time your orders have anything to do with putting my brother in danger _without_ my knowledge? _D O N ‘ T ._ ”

The walk to the “Palace” was tense after that.

 

* * *

 

When they finally got to the room you were to be held in, Sans placed you down on the only piece of furniture in the room and looked around. Although it clearly wasn’t set up to house anything _actually_ dangerous, it would have to do. There was a window on one of the walls and the bed was pushed against the corner furthest from the door. Other than that, the room was barren of any other decoration.

Sans turned to face Asgore as he entered the room and stopped by the side of your bed. He opened up the box in his hands and pulled out the metal cuffs that rested inside. They were ancient, perhaps even older than the box they were stored in, with markings and symbols scrawled along the sides and a dull jewel embedded in the center of each one. A long metal chain connected the two sides together and looked as though it had seen some use.

 _“...or escape attempts,”_ Sans thought dryly.

“Sans would you mind assisting me? Even now, my hands are much too large for this part to be done alone.”

“yea, sure. what do you need me to do?”

“Hold them in your palms while I infuse them with my magic. This will allow me to simultaneously reactivate them and set up a new key which will respond only to my soul signature.”

Sans moved to stand in front of Asgore and took the cuffs into his hands. They had a considerable amount of weight to them and spanned the length of his palms. He watched silently as the gemstones began to glow before all too suddenly the cuffs snapped open, slightly startling Sans.

The insides were lined with rows of small jagged spikes and staring at them put Sans on edge.

“uh..Asgore? what did you say these were supposed to do again?”

“These will... _limit_ the Mage’s magical ability. That way we won’t have to worry about them causing mayhem if they were to escape.”

Sans eyed the cuffs warily. For some reason his soul was beginning to feel uneasy.

“...so you want me to just..?”

“You simply bring them within range of the Mage’s wrists. The magic inside the apparatus will do the rest of the work.”

Sans leaned over the bed slightly, using his magic to slide the sleeves of your cloak upwards as he brought the pieces of metal closer to your skin.

All at once, the cuffs jumped from his hands and attached themselves to your wrists and Sans held his breath as your magic began buzzing violently at the contact. The room lit up with the sudden glow of your magic as your markings seemed to protest the new addition to your skin. When the blue light finally settled down, a light haze of magic could be seen surrounding your body before turning invisible.

“Hmm. Very Curious.”

Asgore closed the container in his hands and turned to leave.

“..so that’s it? now we just wait for her to wake up?”

“That is correct. I will now take my leave. I will inform Undyne of the situation at hand as well. I expect an immediate report once the two of you find out all you can from this one. Time is of the essence, after all.”

Sans continued staring after Asgore even after he had shut the door and left. Strangely enough, even with all the mess and uncertainty he was feeling at the moment, the sound of your soft breathing was keeping him calm.

Very curious, indeed.

 

* * *

 

 

You groaned as the sensation of a splitting headache became the first thing you were aware of upon consciousness. But even as you squeezed your eyes shut and raised a hand to cradle your temple, your instincts were screaming at you in warnings of danger. Something was wrong.

Where were the ever present nightmares? And if not nightmares to wake you, why were you not instead waking up to the sound of quiet giggles and the feeling of small hands against your cheek?

 

_The Twins._

That single thought was enough to open the floodgates to your fuzzy memory. Scenes flashed by and you felt your soul _clench_ upon viewing them.

You had taken the twins to see the Barrier for the first time after two or so years.

 _Something_ had tried to force it’s way through and you tried to find a way to fix it.

You _failed._

The Barrier broke.

The twins were _missing_.

And then _RED._

_RED EVERYWHERE._

_FILLING YOUR VISION._

**_A   M O N S T E R_ ** _._

 

You shot up from the bed as the rest of the events flooded into your thoughts and made the already painful headache, _excruciating_. 

You remembered your body feeling ice cold, your soul feeling as though it had been _burning_.

You could remember bits and pieces of the fight that had transpired.

The skulls that the skeleton had summoned from thin air and fired at you with.

The portals it had escaped through even though you had been taught that only the _Archmage_ could create freestanding portals. Clearly this was no longer truth.

The horror you felt once you witnessed the extent of the soul controlling abilities the skeleton had when you were only trying to administer field-type first-aid to your siblings’ injured souls.

The frustration you felt at not being able to get an accurate read on the stats of the skeleton in front of you even _then._

...The fear that pierced through your entire being as you looked up and saw the face of _them_ in front of you.

The desperation to grab the twins and run right before _black._ Complete and engulfing _darkness._

You looked around the room slowly, the feeling of dread building as you realized none of it was familiar. You found yourself praying to the Great One for protection as you wished for this to all just be another nightmare. To wake up in your bed drenched in sweat, able to pull your siblings into your arms the moment you saw them with sweet, sleepy smiles on their faces.

You froze wide-eyed as your gaze landed not on your siblings, but on the figure leaning against what seemed to be the only viable exit to your _cell_. It was the same skeleton monster from before.

He returned your gaze with an intense one of his own, eyelights trained on your every move and appeared to be..looking _deeper_? If the situation wasn’t as dangerous as it already was, you’d have already gotten up and slapped him for his rudeness. Didn’t he know what kind of message he was sending you by doing that out in the open?

You immediately shot him with a soul reading of your own, with some part of you unsurprised at the results floating in your vision. It was the same strange symbols as the soul reading before and if you were on better terms with the skeleton in question you might’ve written the symbols down for later study. They seemed somewhat similar to the ancient glyphs you’d seen on the magical gateways in the Mage Realm and the scientist part of you was dying to investigate. For now however, you let your vision relax and leveled the skeleton with your stare.

“so the sleeping beauty decides to finally wake up,” he takes a second and chuckles to himself, “or are you the evil witch?”

Oh, yes. You remembered this from your fight before. I mean really, how could you forget? He seemed to have a penchant for taunts, but whether or not it was for his own amusement or to simply get a rise out of you, you were determined not to respond to _any_ of them.

“Where are they?”

He lets out another chuckle, slow and mocking, and his ever-present grin strains so hard it begins to look like a grimace.

“doesn’t matter. safe from _you_. that’s all you need to know.”

You feel your blood run cold as you hear the emphasis placed on ‘ _you’._ He _knows_ what you are. What else does he know? You quickly stand from the bed and take a step towards him.

“You didn’t hear me, _Monster_ ,” you hissed out the word as if it were something vile on your tongue.

"Where. Are. They.” With every word, you take a step closer to the exit behind him.

“Or are you looking for a spot of trouble?” You let your magic well up inside you and you feel your eyes beginning to emit their light blue glow. The air between you and the skeleton is strained for a long moment before you feel the unmistakable lightness of being lifted by your soul as you’re tossed back onto the bed in the corner of the room.

You hear him chuckle as you bounce on the mattress a couple of times before you sit up and meet his gaze with a glare.

“i think you’ll quickly find that i’m the LAST person you wanna make threats against. capiche? ‘sides. don’t think you’ve quite realized your predicament yet.”

He points down towards your lap and you let your gaze follow before immediately freezing at seeing the ancient metal around your wrists. You knew what these are. You learned about them in classes on the war between monsters and man.

You try to cast a spell.

It fails.

You try to summon a portal.

Another failure.

You feel your breathing become unsteady and your hands begin trembling. The headache made complete sense now.

“Y-You..! Do you know what you’re doing?! Do you know how many deaths..! If I were not the...the..!”

“the what?”

The skeleton smirks at you from where he stands, waiting for you to slip up, reveal crucial information to him.

_That asshole._

You clench your fists tight as the headache worsens, feelings of rage and sorrow invading your consciousness. You quickly move to stand again before pausing as another wave of _horrible_ emotions washes over your psyche. You feel your soul crying out in utter _agony_ as the emotions of hundreds of ancient mages cloud your own. You put a trembling hand to your temple and try to quell the raging souls attempting to affix themselves to you. With a light glow from your soul, _your Archmage soul_ , the screaming voices quiet into unintelligible murmurs.

“If I…” you take a shaky breath before continuing through gritted teeth, “were not who I am, your kind’s cruelty would have seen me _dead_. Or at least the closest thing to it.”

The skeleton has the gall to look surprised.

“...what?”

You narrow your eyes at him, “You heard me, _monster_ . Or are you going to pretend that you don’t know what _these_ have done to many of my kind?” You fling out your wrists in his direction for emphasis.

You needed to get out of here. If you were desperate to find the twins before, then seeing the apparatus these heinous beings strapped to your wrists made you absolutely _frantic_. Your mind ran over the list of creations that were likely to still be in existence if these found their way around your wrists even after all this time. Merely thinking of what kinds of treatment the twins were being subjected to at this very moment chilled you to your very core.

The skeleton stepped towards you as he spoke, but you no longer had an interest in _anything_ he had to say. You had seen all you needed to of the _Outside_. The monsters and the humans could go back to their pathetic little war without the three of you in the center.

He continued walking towards you, this time with his hands outstretched in a way that was supposed to show that he meant you no harm. How comical. You let his words go in one ear and out the other as you waited for your opportunity.

_There._

The moment he stepped clear away from the door you let the remnants of your magic flare back up and did something that you’d, at one time, been told only the Archmage could do.

You void-stepped.

Right past the skeleton and right out the door.

A part of you really wanted to see his expression. You knew they probably weren’t expecting you to be able to utilize that level of magic after they strapped these things to you.

The other part of you however, was hell-bent on finding the twins and getting out of here.

You flitted around the camp as your soul cried out to your siblings’. You could _feel_ their presence, but it just wasn’t enough to be able to pinpoint their location.

The cuffs must be messing with you.

Even though you were sure your Archmage powers were now on the fast track to recovery, you weren't in the ideal situation to be able to monitor your magical status. Not to mention the fact that the cuffs added in a constant drain of your Energy, limiting you to these mini-shortcuts in space, otherwise known as void-stepping.

Your soul filled with elation as the bond leading you to your siblings grew stronger. You turned to start heading in that direction when out of nowhere a wall of bones jutted out from the ground in front of you and blocked your path. A moment later a spear whizzed past your ears and imbedded itself into the wall a centimeter away from your head.

Your heart grew heavy as your suspicions were confirmed. There were no records of monsters having this ability before the barriers went up, but you clearly were no longer the only being able to utilize the void to your advantage.

You glanced behind you to get a look at your pursuers. He’s standing there with his left hand raised, right eye blacked out, and a bright blue flame erupting from his left.

_What?_

If you didn’t know any better you’d think… No. Was it possible? Could that be _Mage magic?_

At that precise moment the other figure in your vision came into focus and a sharpened spear grazed the side of your cheek. It seemed word of your escape traveled fast. A blue-scaled fish monster was running at you as she manifested another spear in her hand. Even as you moved to void-step once again, this time with a lock on your target, she lobbed the spear at you with lightning-fast accuracy.

When you landed on the other side of the jump, you dropped down to one of your knees as the sensation of being hit finally caught up with you. You shakily pressed a hand to your injury, hissing as you withdrew it covered in blood. You had been clipped, and pretty badly at that.

With the amount of Energy left in your reserves you only had about two options at this point. Use the rest of the magic at your disposal to heal your injury, but let yourself get caught. Or find your siblings and use your magic to get the hell out of dodge.

You went with the obvious one.

You shakily stood up and stepped through the void once again, this time with their location finally pinpointed on your internal radar.

When you finally appeared in front of them and gathered them up into your arms, your heart swelled with the joy of seeing them safe. They had been healed and were excitedly hugging you tightly in return. The happiness that radiated from their souls however, was short-lived as they took in your appearance. No doubt they could see the state your face was in. Blood running down from the cut on your cheek, tear tracks staining the sides of your face. You could only pray they hadn’t noticed the wound on your side.

Just as you opened your mouth to tell them to hold on tight, you felt a boney hand grip your shoulder _hard_.

“l e t  t h e  k i d s   **g o**.”

His voice was low and threatening in your ear and you let out an involuntary sob, one you hadn’t been aware you had been holding, as you felt your heart catch in your throat. You knew you wouldn’t be able to escape him like this if he could void jump as well. And even if you were able to knock his hand off your shoulder and run with the twins, you knew you didn’t have enough Energy to be able to get the three of you to safety behind the Mage Realm walls…

But that didn’t mean you weren’t about to _try_.

You felt the last remnants of your Energy come to life and just as you were about to let loose and spring into action, small hands gripped your cheeks effectively stopping you. You finally looked down to see your brothers sobbing as they clung to you. Michael pulled back just a bit to meet your confused gaze with a tear-streaked one of his own.

“____! S-Stop it! You’re hurting your s-soul! It l-looks like it's gonna b-break!”

Tears made their way down your cheeks and you felt your soul begin to settle in response to their souls’ coaxing. They were right. You knew they were right. You could feel the strain of the events bearing down on your soul now that their souls were doing their best to resonate with yours. Any more and it would’ve cracked right in front of them...

You gripped them tightly in your arms and let yourself sob as your adrenaline began to dissipate. You had failed them. _Again._

“I’m so, so sorry, you two..”

Your vision grew hazy around the edges as the cuffs once again resumed their purpose and began eating away at your Energy. Your side was throbbing, your head was screaming, and all you wanted was for this all to be a nightmare. To wake up in your bed once again with thoughts of lovely mornings and afternoon lessons.

When the darkness swept over you this time, you welcomed it with open arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, comments? I love responding so shoot em at me!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's read, commented, and kudo'd! It means a lot!
> 
> Psst I have a Tumblr where I often talk about what's going on with chapter progress and other shenanigans : http://sesrins-symphony.tumblr.com


	5. A Different Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans finds out something very important.
> 
> Your relationship to the twins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. It's been about two months since the last update and I've been working to release this chapter for literally FOREVER! I finally decided enough was enough and that I need to just post what I had x'D  
> Hope you guys enjoy though even though I am not exactly happy with the length of this chapter in comparison to the others.  
> (also it is like 3 in the morning at the time of posting so any errors and things will be combed through tomorrow x'D please pardon the mess haha!)

Sans 

 

You were dangerous. An anomaly that placed them all in far more danger than Frisk or Chara ever had. He didn’t need to read the description on your stats for the fifth time to understand that. He just _knew_ . He could feel it. Instinct maybe. Or perhaps it was something deeper. Something crying out from the depths of his _soul_.

When you teleported out of the room earlier, Sans had to admit he was taken by surprise. Asgore had said that they wouldn’t have to worry about you once the cuffs were in place.That those would “limit” your magic and all they had to do was keep you under guard. Clearly, from the way your magic immediately flared up in rage once you saw them around your wrists, well, it was safe to assume that those statements weren’t exactly true. And when he _egged_ you on to get a _crack_ at a handful of slipped-up answers from you (as was his job to do), Sans found himself slightly dumbfounded as you caught onto his ploy and sneered out clipped responses of your own. For the first time, he was suddenly wondering what other statements he’d been told might have a chance at actually being false.

Monsters had been told that there were no “human” casualties. Asgore just told him that the Ordinaries and the Mages were once _both_ considered as human. But here you were, basically telling him that there were Mage casualties during the war. And judging off the extent of your anger he’d be willing to bet that it definitely wasn’t just one or two. No, your anger told him of hundreds, possibly even thousands of mage deaths at the hands of monsters. The complete opposite of what they had been told for centuries after being trapped in the underground. Something didn’t make sense here.

Sans could see you visibly shaking just as he felt the frenzied energy in the air. You were starting to get desperate and something that felt desperate and cornered tended to act out in ways unfavorable. He had to get you to calm down, maybe begin to trust him if at all possible, and _fast_.

He took slow, careful steps towards you as he put his palms out to try and show you that he meant no harm. And he really didn’t, if he could get away with it. Answers were more important at this point and you stirring up a ruckus in the settlement wouldn’t help anybody figure out what’s going on.

“look, buddy. i don’t know what you’ve been through for you to be trying to hunt those kids down or why you’re so goddamn _desperate_ to get them either. but hey, since it seems like our stories don’t quite match up, what do you say to calming our tempers and talking this out. sound good?”

You had been watching him intently as he made his way closer to the center of the room, but it was only _after_ his magic flared up again in response to yours that he realized his mistake. You weren’t watching him like that to see if _he_ would try something, oh no. The whole time he stood there like an idiot trying to get you to open up, you were busy looking for your opportunity to _escape_.

He sucked in a breath as the space in front of him warped and by the next blink you were already long gone from the room. He turned quickly on his heel and threw open the door as he shouted for Undyne. She had been posted outside since intel and wordplay was more of his forte.

“come on, she escaped!”

“WHAT!? Didn’t you _nerds_ say she wouldn’t be able to use magic?!”

“we were wrong, she can still teleport.”

“NGAAAAAH! Dammit, Sans! That would’ve been nice to know from the beginning!”

“didn’t think it’d be relevant so soon.”

He strides over to her and places his hand on her shoulder as he concentrates on where your magic seems to be emanating from through the void.

“found her. hope you’re fast at throwing those spears.”

“You challenging me, Punk? I’ll throw it so fast you’ll get whiplash.”

“heh. good. let’s go then.”

 

* * *

 

When they pop up behind you in the next second, Sans is quick to summon a wall of bones to block your path as Undyne lets fly a warning shot which embeds itself in the wall next to your head. You turn to look at them, eyes wide in surprise, before wincing as another spear grazes your cheek. Undyne runs at you and shoots out a third in the exact moment you attempt to teleport away.

Sans knows that if you were just looking to get away from them, then you wouldn’t still be in the monster settlement. No, you’re still looking to get the kids. They’re extremely important to you for some reason and that’s why you haven’t left yet.

Sans moves to teleport to the place where he knew the twins would be. With any luck, he might even get there before you do.

 

* * *

 

As he felt the raging magic under his phalanges dissipate, Sans felt himself becoming increasingly more confused at the events playing out directly in front of him.

He had beaten you there by just a few seconds, but the expressions on the faces of the twins hadn’t been ones of kids horrified to see you. They had actually looked _relieved_.

Strange.

But admittedly, not all that important at the moment.

You scooped them into your arms at the exact moment Sans moved to grip your shoulder. He knew the ins and outs of teleporting probably just as well as you did and when you stilled under his grasp, he knew that you knew. There was no way you were going to be able to shake him now.  He’d be willing to bet that the two of you were pretty toe-to-toe in terms of shortcut speed and if he was still touching you in any way (for example, the extreme grip he had on your shoulder at the moment) you’d only be taking him with you.

But of course, even against all the odds, you still had your DETERMINATION.

Sans felt your magic roar to life even after all the chaos that’s happened so far. But...he supposed he shouldn’t have felt so surprised. I mean, in retrospect, you seemed to have a knack for springing surprises on him.

And while he wasn’t surprised by your will to keep fighting (he had even flared up his own magic in preparation for the fight that was about to happen), Sans found himself gaping at the view in front of him once the twins both started sobbing as they clung to you.

_What?_

The bigger one, the one Sans had actually gotten to talk to at the beginning of all this, grabbed your face and pleaded at you to stop what you were doing.

“____! S-Stop it! You’re hurting your s-soul! It l-looks like it's gonna b-break!”

_Again...what?_

Sans was dumbfounded as he felt your magic become nearly nonexistent under his grasp.

_Was it...supposed to feel that weak? It felt almost as if you weren’t even a creature of magic._

But it was the moment that you started sobbing along with the boys you were supposed to be kidnapping or whatever that took the cake.

“I’m so, so sorry, you two..”

Your grip on their bodies loosened as you lost consciousness, and if Sans hadn’t been right behind you and already gripping your shoulder, you definitely would have taken the two of them down with you. He caught you as you fell, immediately going stock still as the palm supporting your back became slick with your blood. When he moved his hand into view where the rest of the present company could see however, the twins began _screaming_.

But they weren’t screams of terror. No, these were raw screams of _anguish_.

“BIG SIS NO!!!”

“YOU SAID YOU WOULDN’T LEAVE US!”

“YOU CAN’T DIE! I DON’T WANT YOU TO GO!”

“USE YOUR MAGIC LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO! WHY CAN’T SHE USE HER MAGIC?! MATTIE, WHY CAN’T SHE USE HER MAGIC?!!”

They were frantic, frenzied, gripping onto your cloak as Sans held your unconscious body in his hands. At that moment, a memory decided to reintroduce itself back into the forefront of Sans’ mind.

 

_“You're...not sis...but..thank you..”_

 

Shit.

Shitshitshitshitshit.

Chasing him down to get them back. Desperate even as you put yourself in danger. Refusing to leave them behind even when you had the clear opportunity to escape.

These weren’t just some random human kids to you.

_THESE WERE YOUR SIBLINGS._

They fucked up.

Oh god, did they fuck up!

All because he couldn’t recognize the actions of an older sibling when it was staring him right in the face!

For fuck’s sake, he definitely would have done the same if it was Papyrus!

And now here you were, probably _DYING_ in front of your little brothers, ancient cuffs most likely made to _KILL YOU_ around your wrists, and he’s willing to bet all you really wanted in the first place was to have _NOTHING_ to do with all this!

And he was the one who did this to you.

Jumped headfirst into battle against you all because he’s been jumpy from a timeline with no resets.

He _had_ to try and make this right.

 

* * *

 

“ _TORIEL!”_

Sans burst down the front door to Toriel’s house and ran in with the twins, still frantic, in tow.

“S-Sans? My goodness, what-” she pressed a giant paw to her chest and took a quick step back at recognizing the figure in his hold, “Th-That’s the _Mage_.”

“look, i know. i know we have no clue what’s going on right now and there’s a lot of past _bullshit_ fucking up a lot of _shit_ right now. but hear me out, okay? if you’re my friend, you’ll help me save her life right now.”

“I- Sans I…” she took a moment to search his eyes. He didn’t know what she saw there. He was certain he looked like a mess. An exhausted, _guilty_ mess. But she suddenly relented and motioned for him to follow her down the hall to one of the rooms. “I’ll do it. But Sans, one thing if I may?”

He breathed out a sigh of relief, “anything, you name it.”

“ _Language_.” She hit him with a stern, mom-look before relaxing her eyes and smiling slightly.

He let out an exasperated laugh. “yeah, you got it.”

 

* * *

 

The four of them quickly filed into the room and Sans laid you down on the bed as gently as he could without jostling you too much. He moved out of the way as Toriel started to remove the blood soaked mage cloak from your frame. At least, she had tried to up until Matthew ran to your side, immediately yanking the material from out of her grasp.

“ _NO!_ DON’T TOUCH BIG SIS’ CLOAK!”

“But...my child, these clothes are dirty and we must wash them before they start to st-”

“NO! MAGE CLOAKS DON’T STAIN! BIG SIS WILL USE HER MAGIC TO CLEAN IT LIKE SHE ALWAYS DOES!”

A look of shock passed over Toriel’s face before she quickly schooled her expression into one of endless patience.

“Very well, my child. I will leave the cloak alone if that makes you feel more comfortable,” ... _besides, it wasn’t like she exclusively wanted to touch the thing either._

After Matthew seemed temporarily satisfied by her answer, Toriel set to work on healing your most detrimental wounds. She shot Sans a pointed glance as if to remind him that his current job was to gather information.

_Yeah, yeah._

Your face suddenly pulled into a grimace and as you let out a pained whimper, Matthew’s stubborn facade began to fall apart. His bottom lip began quivering and tears started to well up behind the frames of his cracked glasses.

His twin crossed the room to him right before the first hot tear made it's way down his already puffy cheeks.

Michael wrapped his arms tight around his younger twin and started to pat his head gently, shooshing the pain and tears away and trying to comfort him in ways that you had done whenever they scraped their knees or got hurt.

 _But it wasn’t working_.

“Shh...Mattie it’s okay...it’s okay...S-Sis promised us remember? She...She said she wouldn’t leave us..” His voice cracked as tears began rolling down his cheeks as well, “she said she’d a-always….sh-she’d a-a-always..”

He tried to be a good big brother like you asked, but when his soul reached out to yours in desperate search of comfort, the only thing he felt in return was _silence_.

The dam he was holding back broke.

He clung to Matthew and buried his head into his twin’s shoulder as the two of them wept together.

He’d read about this once before when they were studying with you. That sometimes mage souls just... _went to sleep_.

But when he asked you how you were supposed to wake them up again, you only gave him a sad smile and told him it was a lesson for another time.

Now he wished you had told him.

That you had taught him what to do.

That he had kept asking you about it.

Because right now, even though he was standing here in a room with you, two strangers, and Matthew, _it was lonely_.

_And it was scary._

 

* * *

 

Sans didn’t even need to look around the room at how the three of you were faring to know just how strong the familial bond you all shared was. He could feel it practically radiating around the room now that he was calmed down enough to feel past his own magic. Although with that being said, your magic was feeling strangely quiet in comparison to the rest of the (relatively small) amount of time he’s spent with you thus far. And even though he’d like to say that fact put him at ease since it meant you weren’t about to spring up and start attacking them, it honestly really didn’t.

He wondered if it had anything to do with the guilt he’d been feeling.

_Probably._

He sighed lightly and walked over to the twins while Toriel kept working to heal your injuries. From the way she was concentrating, he’d be willing to bet the one on your side was worse than they originally thought.

_Damn it._

He stopped an arm’s length away from the twins, hesitating for a small second, before lifting his hands to pat their heads gently. He could never handle it when kids cried by themselves and it seemed that no matter their origin, these two were no different.

He half expected them to smack his hands away.

Okay.

That was a lie.

He _completely_ expected them to smack his hands away.

So when their tears started to die down and they made no move to shake him off, it took Sans a good couple seconds to recover from his shock. When he did, he crouched down to their eye level as they pulled out of their hug to look at him while they sniffled. He ruffled their hair lightly and offered them a lopsided smile. For some reason, his actions were actually starting to cheer them up.

“hey kiddos, what say you and me have a talk? might help me figure out how to help your older sister.”

The two of them slowly nodded and Sans knew he was finally getting somewhere in terms of actual answers.

So far, Sans knew about a handful of things for sure:

One - you were their sister. That much had been answered anywhere from the twins themselves crying about your injury, to how badly you were trying to get them back earlier.

The main question was, were you blood? If they were biologically related to you, then wouldn’t that mean that these two kids should be mages too?

Sans took a second to take a peek at their souls.

 

“ **N/A** ”                                                                “ **Mattie** (?)”

 

 LV 1                                                                   LV 1

 HP 11/20                                                           HP 13/20

 

 AT 0 EXP: 0                                                        AT 0 EXP: 0

 DEF 0 NEXT: 10                                                  DEF 0 NEXT: 10

 

* **A young boy with a**   ***A young boy with a spirit**

 **heart full of Bravery**                                           **brimming with Integrity**

 

***Stat Boost: Friendly Soul (Health Regen) - Your touch is comforting their souls**

 

What was going on here? From what Sans could tell, their souls didn’t appear to look any different from the “Ordinary” human souls he’s seen above ground so far. Did this mean they weren’t mages after all? But...he also hasn’t been able to _see_ an actual mage soul either. Everytime he had tried to look at yours it was always surrounded in some sort of hazy mist. Now that he thought about it, that coupled with the whole _not-being-able-to-read-your-stats_ thing, maybe it was some sort of mage tactic? Keep the enemy from knowing too much about you, he supposed.

The kids might open up about it if he asked the right way...he’d have to tread lightly, but they didn’t seem to know the same things as you did about the past relations between monsters and humans ( _or was it just mages? This whole thing was getting confusing_.) otherwise they’d have reacted in a similar manner you have.

There was also the possibility of them being adopted by you, but would someone like you, a mage that seemed to wield an incredible amount of power, really give themselves weaknesses like this? And what of the scene he walked in on when he found the twins in the first place? Did you have a connection to Chara somehow?

~~~~

Two - You really cared about these two kids standing in front of him. Maybe as much as Sans himself cared about Paps. Now Sans normally wasn’t a fan of underhanded tactics, and even just thinking about this lightly gave him a bad taste in his mouth…

 _But_.

If it ever, _ever_ became _absolutely_ _necessary_ …

He couldn’t finish that thought.

~~~~

Three - You were powerful. Insanely so. His _soul_ shuddered in remembrance of how your magic felt. And in the off chance that the cuffs actually _do_ still work the same way they did in the past and time hasn’t corroded their abilities?

Welp.

The fact that you had been _actively_ able to shortcut around the settlement with those things on, _while being injured,_ told him enough.

But maybe, just maybe, there would be a way to get through all of this without starting a war with your kind.

~~~~

Four - It was safe to assume that the “humans” didn’t know much about the mage race or perhaps even simply know _of_ them in the first place. If they had, then the prospect of monster magic might have been seen as something dangerous instead of exciting, and in those circumstances he can guess that they most likely would’ve gotten a completely different type of welcome ceremony from the humans.

~~~~

Five - You didn’t have a very good view of monsterkind. That much seemed pretty clear to him. Heck, with all the stuff that’s happened so far? He didn’t blame you.

But maybe...

Sans looked at the kids in front of him.

These two might be the only ones able to help him convince you that monsters aren’t all _that_ bad.

It would be worth a shot anyways.

He’d work with Asgore and get him to remove those cuffs and maybe you’d let him get close enough to see where you factored into all this timeline chaos.

Because yeah, even with as much as Sans didn’t want it to be, that was still a thing he had to worry about.

 

* * *

 

You groaned in pain again and Sans watched as the twins visibly twitched to the sound and their eyes began to grow misty. He had to think of something quick before the water works started up again.

“hey, how ‘bout we give the nice goat lady some room to work and go into the next room to talk.”

The little one met his eyes with what looked like...fear? “B-But sis-”

“hey, it’s okay. we don’t have to go if you don’t want to. it’s just that…” Sans trailed off as he side-glanced in the direction where you and Toriel were.

“J-Just what?”

“well, Toriel here might have an easier time concentrating on healing your sister if there isn’t a conversation going on right next to her.”

“Oh…” The little one stuck out his bottom lip as he thought.

“...Mattie, let’s go.”

“B-But sis…!”

“She’ll be fine. He saved us, so I...I trust him…” the bigger one trailed off before meeting Sans’ gaze straight on, “I...I can trust you, right mister?”

Sans’ gaze softened in response and he ruffled their hair once again, “yeah kid. you can trust me. I won’t let anything happen to your older sister.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he heard a huff from the other side of the room. Sans chuckled as he removed his hands from where they still rested atop the twins’ heads. “C’mon,” he motions towards the door with his head, “let’s let the old lady concentrate.”

The twins nod slowly and follow him out of the room and back out to the living room.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've decided to go with a looser schedule for this fic instead of the fixed schedule I had before (cause we can see how that turned out omg). This means I'll be updating chapters as I finish them from now on :3 The next chapter will probably be a conversation that has needed to happen between Sans and the twins (as this was the part that was being a pain to write out and was actually supposed to be attached at the end of this chapter instead but oh well x'D ) Hopefully I can get that written up here shortly <3
> 
> As always~ Thanks so very much for reading and I hope you continue to stick around!  
> I have a tumblr where you can see other projects I'm working on, that I haven't given up on this fic, or to ask any questions you might have x'D  
> Come follow me @ sesrins-symphony.tumblr.com! Would love to see you there!!!


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